Zahra grew up in two deserts which vary drastically and have many similarities in culture. One close to the sea, the other close to the mountains. She studied the visual arts in France, and continues various pursuits to further educate herself. She currently lives and works in the Barelas neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she incorporates her Kuwaiti tendencies into her daily life.
Artist Statement
Each day I create an illustration. When I don't, I feel this urgency that time is passing and I haven't stamped it down. I like to create small format scenes, exaggerating and embellishing situations the way storytelling is done in my culture. There's magic in the day to day; even more so in the in-between occasions than in the large ceremonial ones.
I create my work based on stories and imagery from whichever environment I find myself in. I keep my hand held Winsor & Newton watercolors, droplets of ink, and Canson watercolor papers in my downtown Albuquerque-Barelas studio waiting for me; or alongside me in my travels. I grew up valuing being lighthearted, full of humor, and finding optimism in face of adversity. While incorporating this into my whimsical illustrations, I use animals in my work, bright colors, and imagery of home and the comfort that the idea brings.
