Shirin Neshat, "Identified"

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.

A Selection, Not an Election - June 12, 2009, Iran

I don't know how many sleepless nights I experienced and how much I cried during those first few weeks following Iran's most recent Presidential election. Thanks to Youtube, Twitter and Facebook, we were kept up to date on what's really happening on land. However, I couldn't reach my father or the rest of my family during those first few days, which was making me go insane! Eventually, I got hold of my father and he seemed to be OK, although he had gone to the first major protest. He said it was the first time, after the first revolution that he had seen such a massive number of people from all age groups and walks of life gathered in one place.

So many images and videos poured out everyday and I knew that I had to paint one of them. I chose this one because of the expression on his face. I like to play Yas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN6pLQ98c58) or Shahin Najafi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUf23GcT924) in the background while I paint. This was my 3rd oil on canvas, by the way. Again, the hands!

Introduction

This is my first attempt at a self-portrait. And the part that resembles me the most is the massive amount of hair. And this is also my first attempt at starting a blog. Hopefully it will be more creative than my self-portrait...hopefully.

I intend to document my one-woman pursuit to learn how to paint my thoughts and dreams. I started to paint (oil on canvas) about 4 months ago and today, I went through my first formal training class at the New York Art Students League.

I'm hoping that I can create some decent artwork after the four sessions I have planned this month; so far, I hate everything I've done to date but I hear that's normal. Pictures to come...