A Calming Influence

At the age of 16, my driving instructor was recommended to me by a close friend. He was recommended to her by another close friend, who was recommended to them by their Aunt. His name was Basim and was legendary in our social circles. At that age, the ambiguity that surrounded this moderately-priced driving coach made it feel like he was a Hollywood superstar.

As an adult I think about Basim a lot. Sure, I'm would consider myself a fairly confident driver and have not yet had any major hiccups on the road. I've never even had a speeding fine. But that's not why I think of this middle-aged Egyptian man that I sat with each Saturday for several weeks.

Basim had an incredibly calm energy. Moving slowly, he gently corrected my hands into a ten-two position on the wheel. His hands felt so old and soft, like tiny pillows and when I made a mistake, was too close to another car, or didn't indicate, Basim never shouted. Instead, he would start each instruction with a long and soothing 'ok then...' 

This original artwork is hand painted with watercolour gouache paint, by Brendon Marczan. It is unique and delicate, requiring professional framing. As the paint covers the paper, edge-to-edge, it is recommended that the artwork be professionally floated inside a frame.

Original artwork, hand-painted with watercolor gouache on Fabriano 300gsm paper. 

• Dimensions: 12cm Wide x 15cm High (4.75in Wide x 6in High)
• Italian, 300gsm Fabriano Artistico hot-pressed paper
• Initialled in pencil on the back
• Sold unframed
• Original artwork

It is recommended that the artwork be framed under a UV protective glass with at least 70% UV light reduction. If the artwork is to be placed in direct sunlight, it is recommended that the artwork be framed under a UV protective glass with at least 98% UV light reduction, also known as 'museum glass'.

The images shown on this site may vary slightly from the actual artwork. Colors may be different on different digital devices and each device may have slightly unique color settings.