Presence, Absence, & Essence

Oil paint on raw canvas, air dry clay, and a light- 2025- 48×60 in.

•2025 Scholastic Art Awards- National Gold Medal and American Visions Award Winner

This piece explores how core memories and moments can be fundamental to your life journey, whether you recognize it at the time or not. It captures the connection between my grandfather and me, focusing on the memory’s essence, the interaction between us, rather than the details of the room around us. Our faces are finely rendered, and everything slowly becomes more loose and expressive the further away from the faces it is.

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Roots

36×60 in- oil paint on canvas

Scholastic Gold Key Award

This painting depicts the connection between my grandfather and I through our relationship to our homeland and heritage. He is the past, the roots of the family, and I am the present. It represents the rapid change of times between when he was a child, the vibrant dreamlike left, and the new generation, in the harsh muted present reality. It represents how our identity and who we are is molded by our culture and our deep and personal connection to where we came from

Yet, our strong family values and traits are passed on and thus persist despite the changing times. I focus on using the illusion of depth and a transparent figure ground to directly tie heritage into our identity.

Unfinished (One More Bite)

96×42 i- 2025- oil and acrylic paint on traditional Lebanese tablecloth

In the piece, the table is not freshly set, rather it shows a meal that is already over. Everyone is done eating and has left the table. Food in the serving platters have been eaten and utensils used.  When a loved one passes away, we all find our own ways to grieve, cope with the loss, and move on, and this piece embodies that through culture. Everyone has moved on in their own way… they’ve finished their distinct meals, left their seats, and the table has started to be cleared. 

All except me… while they’ve coped in their own ways after the passing of my grandfather, I remain at the table, holding on, looking for just one more bite to keep the meal going. At the top is the semi-transparent depiction of my grandfather, who is the light source for the table, which casts shadows down onto the different dishes. 

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Saudade

Oil and acrylic on a mirror-40×60 in- 2025

The piece depicts a grayed out, limited contrast figure, my grandfather, that invokes a feeling of mournful lamentation. A remembrance of his presence, watching over us but not tangibly with us. When combined with the mirror, it creates this feeling of saudade. When standing close to the mirror, you feel the figure’s presence more than you see it. No matter how hard you search for a clear picture of him even when turning your head to look at him, you don’t find it. At the end of the day, you will always come back to yourself, the only thing that’s actually physically present, looking back at you. It’s a piece that emphasizes the interaction between viewer and figure as a way of describing the longing feeling but never truly finding what you’re looking for. It’s a blending of loss and absence with the memories of what once was. 

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Elegance

18×24 in- oil and embroidery thread on canvas

I convey in this artwork the idea of always holding the standard of perfection in style and fashion to its highest. However, this emphasis on elegance extends beyond looks; it reflects the importance of making a strong first impression on others and how that could be the entry way to a  new relationship or opportunity

Elegance has been utilized to communicate power, confidence, signify status, and a tradition that continues until today. Every decision in this piece was guided by memories of my grandfather, from replicating his favorite pose to styling the watch and cufflinks he left for me. These choices are an homage to my longing to emulate him and maintain a deeper connection with him, even though he is no longer with us. I utilize embroidery in the watch and cufflinks to represent the essence of fashion and as the continuation of the family tradition of embroidery.

Malak

16×24 in- oil paint and gold leaf on canvas- 2023

The Arabic word “Malak” translates to King in English, which is the nickname my grandfather gave to me when I was young. To him, ever since I was a toddler, I embodied the attitude of a natural-born leader… strong, determined, resilient, and courageous. Even as I’ve grown up, I’ve continued to hold that strong spirit that both my grandfather and I shared. The piece represents his passing on the mantle of the strong traits both of us share and the continuation of his legacy even after his passing.

I am the Storm

24×30 in- oil on canvas and gold leaf

– A storm is often violent, treacherous, overwhelming, and terrifying. However, this painting depicts the strengths and values passed on to me from my grandfather, who faced all the difficulties of his life with courage and determination. He instilled in me the belief of not giving in to our challenges and always standing strong in the face of these hardships. The idea of not being sucked into the storm but to become the storm itself! The Arabic translates to “I am the storm.”

Firebird

22×30 in- oil paint on canvas- 2023

The car is a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, the same one my grandfather owned since the 1970’s. It relates back to the connection that my grandfather and I had through our innate love for cars. The Firebird also represents resurrection and rising from the ashes, and how his legacy is remembered through me even though he is no longer here to share our love of cars together.

Jiddo and Kiddo

18×24- oil on canvas- 2023

-Jiddo means grandfather in Arabic. In this painting, depicted is my grandfather and I as he holds me in his warm embrace while I am playing with the toy car of the same 1977 Pontiac Firebird he owned. His comforting hold gives me reassurance for the life ahead of young me as I continue his legacy and hold on tight to the memories we shared before he passed.

Tarnish

24×30- 2024- oil paint and gold leaf on canvas

This painting explores my relationship with my grandfather and my longing for more time with him. I imposed myself into an old black and white photograph of my grandfather when young. The cracked gold leaf references old photograph lines. Through expressive calligraphic mark-making and an unstable figure–ground, the figures exist between reality and idealism. My grandfather was very resilient and faced many challenges in his life, as pure as gold, but even the most pure substances can tarnish with wear and tear. The piece an acknowledgment that this longing to be able to sit and chat and connect on our similarities when he was my age, will never come true.