Shah Wali

Shah Wali is the "brush name" of Charlie Dorman-O'Gowan, a Hiberno-English artist who spent 17 years as a humanitarian aid worker in the conflict zones of Asia. He has lived in Asia for almost three decades, and many of his paintings reflect his experiences in places as diverse as Afghanistan and Burma(Myanmar).

Painting in a bamboo studio next to a Buddhist monastery surrounded by padi fields, Shah Wali speaks Thai, Lao, Persian, Pashto, Malay and a little Burmese - and is strongly influenced by the art of these cultures. Another firm influence is the work of the 20th Century British artist Charlie Johnson Payne, better known as "Snaffles". Shah Wali grew up surrounded by Snaffles' works, and later began to incorporate elements of that iconic style into his own work.

Shah Wali's intricate and detailed paintings are thus a unique and original blend of Indo-Persian miniatures, Burmo-Siamese Buddhist art, and the distinctive style of "Snaffles".