About Me
About Me
Unexpected events changed the course of my family’s life, and we left Baghdad. When we came to the UK, I was twelve years old. I was faced with a new language, a new set of rules, a new world. It was exciting but a culture shock all the same.

Over the years, my memories of Baghdad faded into the background. I stopped writing short stories. I stopped drawing my calligraphy. And I began to paint. This led me, later on, to art school. I studied painting at Byam Shaw and took a Masters in graphic design at the Central School in London.
I loved all aspects of design, especially typography and calligraphy. I worked as a designer for many years, first in advertising and then as a freelance designer for prestigious accounts such as the Serpentine Gallery until, finally, I set up my own design company, Les Editions BlaBla, specialising in stationary, greeting cards and other products for the gift market.
I loved all aspects of design, especially typography and calligraphy. I worked as a designer for many years, first in advertising and then as a freelance designer for prestigious accounts such as the Serpentine Gallery until, finally, I set up my own design company, Les Editions BlaBla, specialising in stationery, greeting cards and other products for the gift market.
Today I paint and make pots. I hand-build different types of vessels. Very few are functional. Most cannot store water because, unlike the unglazed earthenware vessel of my childhood, they are designed with holes and open cracks. In my paintings, I explore landscapes combined with the written word. My work in clay and my work in paint inform and enrich one another.
I am a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen and have exhibited my work for many years. Please click on the button to see the more recent exhibitions.
Flavours of Babylon – A Family Cookbook
As a passionate cook, I resolved to put down my favourite family recipes and some dishes of my own creation in book form. The first edition of Flavours of Babylon was published in 2011 and the Second Edition in 2014. As a result, I began giving demonstrations at food festivals, bookshops and private homes.
For me, food is more than just nourishment and recipes, it is also a language and an identity. Not only does the food we eat define us, it also tells us about our climate, our soil, what grows in our land and what does not grow. In short, it recounts our history as well as our influences and our interaction with the world around us.
Flavours of Babylon
– A Family Cookbook
As a passionate cook, I resolved to put down my favourite family recipes and some dishes of my own creation in book form. The first edition of Flavours of Babylon was published in 2011 and the Second Edition in 2014. As a result, I began giving demonstrations at food festivals, bookshops and private homes.