Artist Statement
I was born in 1982 in the beautiful mountains of Zagros, Iran. I remember one year it snowed so much that I could make and sustain an igloo in my parents' backyard. Art has always been an inseparable part of my life. When I moved to America in 2011, my painting style transformed from realism to abstract and expressionism. I combine elements of my heritage and my new identity as an American to create a dialogue with my work. I face the empty canvas in silence, and the conversation begins with the first stroke of my brush or palette knife. The dialogue concludes when the painting is complete.