Egyptian painter keeps tradition of handcrafted colours alive

'The making of colours is a very simple process. I did not come up with it myself. I took it from the creator’s world, from nature, a little from the mountains and the greenery, and then I made the material that fixes the colours,' says Hassan. Photos: Reuters

Egyptian artist Hassan el-Shark’s paintings of village life, created from the mud, grass and leaves he finds around him, are treasured in Egypt for keeping a traditional skill alive.

He painstakingly crafts his own colours, applying them with tiny brushes to his intricate outlines of people and forms, which have found international acclaim.