Exclusive Art: 'Fishing in Muddy Waters' by Tarek Chemaly

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This blues graphic art, complete with a vintage Lebanese twist,  was designed for Speakin' The Blues by renowned artist Tarek Chemaly. A talented creative artist, writer, and university lecturer, Tarek also runs the blog Beirut/NTSC (Never Twice Same City).

Old Lebanese ads from the 60's and 70's had a certain feel and design to them. Tarek and I were talking about infusing this retro/vintage style with a blues theme. I recommended Muddy Waters, the king of Chicago Blues. From his side, this is what Tarek had to say about his concept:

"Fishing in muddy waters or "الاصطياد في مياه عكرة" is an Arabic expression which means that whatever you cannot fish in regular water due to the low speed of the muddy water, you can end up fishing while it is in it's worst conditions. So the expression eventually means "abusing someone's situation" or "taking advantage of someone's bad situation".

Thanks to Tarek for creating this great piece of art, and look out for more upcoming collaborations with other Lebanese artists soon!