I was flipping through a book called Contemporary Art in the Middle East when I learned about Shirin Neshat, who is widely known for her work in film and photography. There were only 3 of her photographs in this particular book but one of them really caught my eye. Shirin is the subject of most of her photographs and she has these piercing black eyes that have so many stories behind them. Being an Iranian woman myself and having spent the first 13 years of my life in Iran, I am extremely sensitive to Islamic art. Particularly Islamic art that touches on women's issues. To me, this painting tells a story and makes you feel this womans' pain. What is she thinking? When I saw this photo, I was so compelled to paint it and it became my first oil on canvas. Little did I know, I picked the most difficult subject: HANDS!
I can't explain how difficult it was to paint the hands, especially since they are the focal point of the photo AND it was the first time I was painting. I really wanted to paint the hand tattoos but there was just no way I was going to get away with it. Obviously I did not do justice to the picture but to my surprise, my friends and family liked the painting. I gave it to my father who took it back to Iran with him.
