Biography:

I am a New Jersey-based artist specializing in oil painting, portraiture and figure drawing. I’m also interested in sculpture, and printmaking and jewelry-making.

I first became involved in art as a way of coping with assimilation to American culture. My family and I left our home in Marrakesh, Morocco to settle in Jersey City when I was only 9 years old. Because I didn’t know English when I moved here, I poured myself into drawing, and I would practice on every surface I could find. Since many peers and teachers recognized and encouraged my artistic abilities, I eventually grew to view art as a possible career path rather than a coping strategy.

In the early stages of my career, while still in high school, I frequented Montclair to visit the artist Dorian Vallejo at what was then his house and studio in Montclair, NJ. There, I had the opportunity to paint alongside many accomplished artists, including Max Ginsberg and Dorian Vallejo himself. Following high school, I pursued formal training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. As a complement to my education, I dedicated several months to studying at the studio of artist Timothy W. Jahn, refining both my painting and drawing skills. Most recently, I earned my Master’s degree at the New York Academy of Art, where I had the privilege of studying under the guidance of Dan Thompson, Mario A. Robinson, and Randolphlee Mclver.



Education:

2022: Masters of Fine Arts in Painting, New York Academy of Art, NY.
2015: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, New Jersey City University, NJ.
2009: Pennsylvania Academy of Art, Foundation Year, PA
2008: Rhode Island School of Design, Summer Program.RI

Awards & Distinctions:

2024 Painting Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts 

2023International Art Renewal Salon Competition Still-life Finalist
2023 International juried Art Competition Talent Prize Award in Still-Life
2022 The New York Academy, Presidential Award
2018-19 The New York Academy of Art, Academy Scholarship (For high quality ofwork and exceptional merit)
2017 Strokes of Genius Honorable mention in Drawing
2016 Ziccardi Award for Excellence in Painting
2015 Williams Prize in Drawing For Emerging Artists Competition
2015 Salmagundi Membership Award
2014 NJCU Scholarship in Bachelor of Art
2009 PAFA Artistic Excellence Scholarship
2008 Full Scholarship to RISD Summer Program
2007 Gold Key "Scholastic Art Awards"

Exhibitions:

2023 Small Treasures, American Fine Art Gallery, Washington, DC
2022 Thesis Exhibition, New York Academy of Art, NY
2021 Tribeca Ball, New York Academy of Art
MFA Open Studios, New York Academy of Art, NY
2020 New Jersey City University, Group Exhibition, Jersey city, NJ
2018 Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center, Group Exhibition, Jersey City, NJ
Lemmerman Gallery, Group Show, Jersey City, NJ
2016 Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center, Group Exhibition, Jersey City, NJ 2015 Ziccardi Award, Group Show, Jersey City, NJ
2012 Jersey City Municipal Court, Group Show, Jersey City, NJ
2009 Annual Student Exhibition, PAFA, PA
PAFA Annual Student Exhibition, Philadelphia., PA
PAFA Open Studio Night, Philadelphia., PA
2008 RISD Summer Exhibition, Group show, RI
2007 Scholastic Award Carmony, group show, Morristown, NJ

Professional/Teaching Experience:

Art Teacher-Paterson Public School k-8th
Art Teacher-Manchester High School
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant- New York Academy Art

Artistic Influences:

Egyptian, Greek, Hellenistic, Islamic, Renaissance, Neo-Classical, Victorian, Michelangelo, Peter Paul Rubens, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Jacques-Louis David ,William Bouguereau, Frederic Leighton, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Daniel Chester French, James Earle Fraser.


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