In my tribute to Gerhard Richter's "Betty," I delve into the soul of portraiture, framed by the traditional Qitra and Shayla. My use of charcoal breathes depth and texture into the work, capturing the complexities of identity hidden within the fabric's folds, paying homage to the concealed nuances of self and culture. By veiling the face, my drawings stir curiosity, inviting viewers to look deeper and engage with the mysteries that lie beneath the visible. The delicate dance of light and shadow over the veiled forms marries the craft of old with a modern quest for understanding identity and perception. My work is an invitation to pause and reflect, to appreciate how these intertwined elements echo the transformative nature of portraiture.

Executed with Graphite on black paper, the Cloaked series look like black sheets of paper from most viewing angles.  The graphite is shiny in nature and ultimately, the black paper used accentuates this effect. When an individual views the work from the proper angle, the effect delivered offers a privileged glimpse at the unveiled portrait. This, then, is a conceptual approach to portraiture that serves to challenge the viewer to ponder the meaning of identity in the region as well as their own voyeuristic interest when looking.

Many of Leonardo’s paintings and drawings were left incomplete. His numerous drawings display aspects and ideas of one of the worlds most insightful and inventive minds. Leonardo’s grotesque heads are among those that were never fully visualized. It is not entirely known why he created these drawings. Some think it was because he was commissioned to create caricatures for plays. Others believe it was because he was exploring physiological aspects of the human face.

These studies manifest my interests in the monstrous forms nature can produce, and in trying to create these from my own imagination. I was interested in taking his sketches and providing them with full value and completing them on a larger scale. I seek to have more of a psychological impact between the image and the viewer by rendering them life size. This enables the viewer to have more of an emotional response to them.

I am interested in re-ordering my subjects' appearance to bestow them with personal meaning and associations. In a time of uncertainty and rapid change, these works stand as a metaphor for the contemporary experience across the world. These works allude to the suggestion of memory, reflect on personal experiences and express interest in painterly improvisation.

Philip Guston said, "Make what you never saw, be changed by it." This drives me as an artist. I love using my imagination to create new works, experiment with mediums, and embrace ambiguity for the viewer to interpret with their own mind. The Hybrids reflect my self-exploration, blending concept and technique. I believe art is where interests and experiences converge.

In this series, I navigate the space between visibility and obscurity, transforming the traditional concept of portraiture through abstraction. Using image transfer, I respectfully reinterpret photographs of Arab women, adhering to cultural sensitivities regarding the depiction of human forms as Haram. My work blurs individual identities into a shared essence, allowing for both recognition and anonymity. These pieces reflect on cultural identity and explore what is permissible, challenging and expanding the boundaries of how we portray and perceive human likenesses. In offering a version of these figures that can be publicly shared, I engage in a conversation about the dynamic nature of representation against the backdrop of cultural and religious beliefs.

The skull drawings derived from my fear of death. I have been drawn (no pun intended) to the image of skulls since childhood and for me they represent a celebration of one’s life rather than the the symbol of death. They represent a certain history of the individual.

Strangers evolved from the left-handed series.  Originally executed left handed, they were completed with my right hand.

These works were created by utilizing a technique similar to that of “frottage” or “rubbing” in that they were made by making the drawing on the reverse side of the paper. This allowed for a certain level of chance and ambiguity to enter the work.