I started with the ogee grid, one of my favorites, which has always seemed Islamic to me though it’s used in many cultures.

I didn’t have a clear intent for the painting, but as I began throwing and spilling paint randomly on the canvas, war in the Middle East, and Iraq specifically, began to be the focus. The red spills were like blood. Since I don’t watch TV I didn’t have many visual references, so National Geographic and newspapers were the source of much of the imagery.

abused prisoner in Abu Ghraib	wounded lion from Assyrian bas-relief
defaced poster of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad	dripping blood