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MAKKAH: Saudi artists reached for their brushes and easels to help raise public awareness about a tree-planting campaign in the Eastern Province.

The artists worked on a series of paintings in front of onlookers at King Abdullah Park at Dammam seafront as part of an open day to promote the Eastern Province municipality’s green initiative that also featured cultural segments and theater plays.
Local artist Ahlam Al-Mash’hadi said that art can be an important tool to educate people on various issues.
“People who attach a great importance to art usually appreciate beauty in a different way and consider it part of the local culture,” she said.

Art shapes our characters and increases our knowledge of our culture, but it also lets us see the beauty of our environment and encourages us to protect it.

Lobna Bahaidara, An artist

Al-Mash’hadi said that the municipality’s tree-planting program will create more green spaces, add beauty to the landscape and improve air quality in the province.
Trees encourage artists to “view art more appreciatively,” she said, “strengthening the relationship between an artist and different expressionist schools.”
Lobna Bahaidara, who also joined the open day, said that the experience of watching artists in action will help people appreciate the creative effort behind the initiative.
“Art shapes our characters and increases our knowledge of our culture, but it also lets us see the beauty of our environment and encourages us to protect it,” she said. “The best way to do that is by planting more trees.”

Bahaidara said that artistic expression can also help people come up with solutions for environmental problems.
Artist Dhai Muhammad said: “When people see artists painting or drawing trees in the open air, they realize the urgency of the environmental problems and think of innovative ideas to fight threats to their environment. They also develop a better understanding of how to improve the quality of life.”