This work was made in late December for my on going project titled "Hometown". The title of the work "Retention" is derived from the fact that this image was made possible by the still retention pond in this new development I was exploring.
This piece symbolizes the feeling of becoming free. Both joy and melancholy are contrasting elements with the colorful balloons against the gloomy surroundings.
I had been struggling with a bad art block and decided to return to one of the subjects I had been drawing since I was a kid. I wanted to use a subject familiar to me to work on improving my skills in painting the fine details.
Sarah Shagal, portrayed by Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1966) in the final scene of the film takes her first victim as a new vampire. Appreciation for Tate and of the film's aesthetic with costumes and makeup.
I consider this my first exploration of rebar as a material and as a symbol of my Arab identity. As a material, I find it compelling that rebar is can only be seen when a building is destroyed, otherwise it is invisible. As the child of a Syrian…