Adly Mirza
was born in Aden -Yemen, the second of of six children. Adly dreamed
of the artist's life as a child.
Enclosed in the magical surroundings of the movie theater owned by his father,
he was infused with a love of the moving images and was exposed to films from
all over the world. As Adly grew up, some of his schooling came from travel,
as he lived in Aden, India and Egypt and UAE. Though an exceptional student,
Adly spent many of his earliest school days daydreaming of movies and drawing
to keep boredom at bay in the classroom.
Unfortunately, a
career in art -his true love- was not open to Adly. Instead, upon enteri
ng
the University of Cairo he found himself in the
field of horticulture, it was the closet thing to art that he could think of.
Adly earned his bachelor's degree in horticulture, and upon moving to United
States in 1980, he earned both master's degree in plant science from
California State Universtity in Fresno and a PhD in horticulture from Oregon
State University. Several government institutions requested his expertise,
which led him to work in hydroponics at Ontario Canada, research on plant
physiology in California and work in agronomy for the state of Hawaii.
In 1996, Adly decided
to give up plant science and pursue his love of drawing. He taught himself and
trained
by
constantly working at his craft and putting love into his work. In the
beginning he was uncertain, but the things people said about his art gave him
the confidence to continue drawing. For a time he did portraits at craft
fairs, but his first test was displaying his work at the infamous Honolulu Zoo
Fence. this was the first time he had shown with other up-and coming artists.
His first breakthrough came with his exhibition at the Cafe at Borders Ward
Centre in Honolulu, after which the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper
wrote a feature article on his life and the art. Since then Adly has grown in
confidence and skills, and his work hangs in cafes and restaurants all over
Oahu. People now seek him out to commision works of art.
The majority of
Adly's drawings are of his three children Samia 15, Omar 12 and
Amir 2.
Looking at these pieces, one can see his kids grow up, their childhood
captured on paper. Reminders of his
early love of art, music, and movies also surface in his drawings- whose
simplicity is deceptive, because he puts a great deal of love and time into
each piece."Details in the eyes" using patience and attention to the details,
he feels they are the most important elements in drawing. That is how he
puts his soul in the drawing
Adly is currently a
music seller at Borders Ward Center in Honolulu. He has been working for about
five years and has enjoyed working in the music department, surrounded by
music and his co-workers. What is his secret to enjoy life?
Music and Art are his fuel.
