I believe it was the dominance of the male that must have inspired the scientists to call the beginnings of our universe, ‘the big bang,’ for in actuality, the creation is more of a great birth. There are usually two women portrayed in my paintings; the woman that is seen and the one who is unseen. My masculine side leans toward painting the outer attraction, while my feminine side reflects more of the mystery, which is the inner attraction.  I have no interest in painting only the outer beauty of women like many images that have been painted over time. I want to open the spiritual vision of my viewers to go beyond the surface beauty into the inspiration that moved me to create the paintings. What is reflected in my art is something I see and sense in women. The images I paint are not just my creations, but they come to life from a light that shines through me, illuminating the mystery of the soul coming into form through my hands. When I am painting, the canvas becomes my guide. It reveals to me where it wants to be touched and caressed, and I surrender to it using my brush, my fingers, and my hands to create the colors, the feelings, and the sensual effects of the images. I am not creating the women I paint, but it is as if I am following the desire to give pleasure and reflect the beauty I see in women. The women in my paintings express the breath and essence of womanhood as I perceive and experience it in women I know. Many tell me that they recognize something of themselves in my female figures. I have come to feel that what is reflected on my canvas is the feminine nature of the soul that exists in both men and women. For me, as an artist and as a man, the women in my paintings are given their freedom through the love with which I paint them. I feel a longing to free them from the archaic and oppressive way women have been seen in the past.  As a man from the Middle East, I grew up in a culture that was most oppressive to women. Since many of them were veiled, I began to imagine and connect with their inner beauty. This ultimately became a guide in both my life and my art. It was the mystery of what was unseen that attracted me, and I began to express something deeper than the outer appearance. I was venturing into an unknown, and it guided me on an inward journey that stirred my heart and awakened my soul. I began to paint the revelations of the heart. I was reaching to paint the mysterious glow of a radiant energy that became a metaphor for love, for truth, for light, and for life itself. It is a vision that connects me with the longings of those who view and respond to my art. My art invites the viewers of my paintings to come on a journey with me, seeing through my eyes, feeling through my heart, and experiencing the light and revelations of my soul. When that happens, it can awaken the viewers to discover the gift of seeing through the eyes of their own hearts and souls in new ways. Sharing the journey allows the artist and the viewer to recognize their oneness through the energy of an artistic vision of  love. Both feminine and masculine powers are creative, but it is the feminine power that experiences the full circle of creating, nurturing, and transforming as they participate in the creative process. That power, which we call the muse and the Sufis call Khedr, knows and recognizes the guiding light and surrenders to it. As people of the 21st century, we need to allow the feminine voice and heart to guide us in making our transformation into becoming the residents of a UNITED WORLD.