"Speak Up" Painting

I was born in Iran and moved at the tender age of 3 to London during the Iran/Iraq war. I began discovering my artistic abilities at around 7 years old. I am an painter, actor and filmmaker currently residing in Los Angeles. My work consists of abstract portraits with the eyes being the central focus. Once I capture the “spirit” or essence through the eyes the rest of the painting almost always takes shape as if I’m being told what to do. The environment and the figure are one in my work. The environment never upstages the figure. It exists because of the figure. I portray this in my current series “Women & Children Beyond the Veil” — women who have either transcended or adapted to their environment and the loss of innocence in doing so. The environment being the veil. I’ve worked primarily with oil pastels and acrylic. I use acrylic to lay down the foundation of the piece and oil pastels to build the portrait. I use shadows to contrast the abstract background with the figure which helps me achieve a third dimension. Because I layer the pastels, I achieve a slightly raised textured appearance. And because I’m mostly utilizing my fingers to apply multiple pastel layers, generally one painting takes no less than a month to complete. The stillness I am rewarded with alone makes painting an essential part of my life. Most all of my paintings are influenced by events or personal experiences. The process and time it takes to paint gives me insight on interpreting those experiences. It is my hope to leave the viewer feeling the depth, humanity and essence of my paintings.