"This was a totally new experience for me. I had not been to the Middle East except for a trip to Teheran in 1998. I had met many Middle Eastern artists during the Asian Art Biennales and longed to see their homes and witness their lifestyle. Maimani too had come to Dhaka in the last Biennale. Muscat has deserts along with mountains containing waterfall, and all of it being surrounded by the sea. This fascinated me and opened my eyes to more aspects of nature than I had witnessed before. Muscat, incidentally, is the home of the legendary Sinbad."

During her stay, Rokeya had the oppurtunity to exchange ideas and share experiences with the guests who came to the gallery.

One of the paintings is splashed with blue and orange, with a mermaid-like creature resting among the coral beaches of Inani. The sunset is brought in to add warmth and scenic beauty. The white lines bring in the waves. The next landscape brings in masses of greens and blacks to depict the meeting of the sea with rivers. There is one that depicted the polo game with players and horses in black against an indigo backdrop. Rokeya had come back from Pakistan when she did the painting and was then inspired by the traditional game.

"All my paintings are like my personal dairy," says Rokeya. "Through my canvas I express my innermost feelings, hopes and dreams, my fears and doubts, almost anything and everything," she says. Her paintings have a unique brilliance with a translucent effect.

Rokeya is an associate professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, DU and has many national and international awards and recognitions.