- Date of the artwork: 2018
- Medium: Pastel on Canson Paper
- Dimension: 25 x 21 inches (63.5 x 53.5 cm)
- Exhibition: Pastel Society of West Coast, California, USA
This painting portrays a Kurdish girl, capturing the strength and resilience that define her people. The Kurdish community, spread across Iran, Turkey, and Iraq, has endured hardship, often facing the challenges of war and lack of governmental support. Yet, they remain deeply rooted in their culture, standing as unwavering supporters of their families and communities. I wanted to reflect this incredible strength in her expression the quiet determination, the depth of her character. To truly capture this essence, I traveled to Kurdistan, took this photograph, and later transformed it into a painting. The result was a piece that not only tells her story but also honors the spirit of the Kurdish people. In 2018, Eastern Beauty received the Andrew and Marbo Barnard Award at the Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society of the West Coast in the United States and was published in the Fall 2017 issue of their magazine.