Born in Syria my country of birth has contributed to my art motifs and strong classical background. It has also influenced the central theme of my work: suffering. Suffering does not discriminate and this is shown through my personal experiences of grief, images of the downtrodden and human right’s violations throughout my art.
When I first started, I only used a black and white palatte, and traditional stamping because I felt that just as there is a wide and vast spectrum in the greys between black and white and traditional stories – this too is reflected in humanity and our morality. Later on, as I evolved as an artist, strong colours remained important to me within my work but I started using different techniques and colour palattes.
Now I am very careful with how colour emerges in each piece; I do not pick the colours – the colours tend to pick me. However, black is always dominant and I am always changing and discovering new ways to physically create my work with the stamping, manual graphic printing and different textiles. When I am forming my ideas, I want to use different techniques and textiles in order to give the paint and emotions freedom to move away from the rigidity of traditional art. This approach gives me a different feeling when I am painting, and in order to express myself and create the effect I want, I must search for the combination that feels right. I want my art to be seen as complete – the materials, the theme and the colours are integral – I want people to literally see the whole picture and experience it as I do.