Paintings shaped by memory, Persian art, and contemporary practice.
Selected works
A small selection from Samira’s painting, calligraphy, and Persian art practice.
Calligraphy
This work combines two approaches—modern Iranian calligraphy and contemporary Kufic script—to visually interpret a verse by Hafez: “When one can lay down one’s head upon the Beloved’s threshold, one can raise a triumphant cry to the heavens.”
My Cypress Garden
This artwork depicts a pomegranate tree growing from a heart, symbolizing love and energy in Persian culture. It features Tazhib-style pomegranate blossoms and uses lapis lazuli blue to signify infinity and wisdom, while red conveys warmth and desire.
Traditional Persian Painting
This bird is painted through the language of traditional Persian painting, reinterpreted with a contemporary sensibility. Its presence carries a sense of both stillness and freedom—a quiet, contemplative figure that also evokes the openness of the sky and the possibility of flight. For the artist, the bird becomes a symbol of liberty, wisdom, and inner spaciousness. Its calm presence suggests slowness and reflection, while its connection to the sky speaks to freedom, imagination, and transcendence. Through this balance between tradition and contemporary expression, the work transforms the bird into both a visual and symbolic presence.
Tazhib
Abstract
This collection presents an imagined creation story set in space, exploring the emergence and evolution of mysterious creatures on a distant planet.
Others
I'd been carrying the image of an upside-down Tree of Life for many years, a tree with its roots in the open sky and its blossoms hidden beneath the earth. When I painted this piece, I couldn't stop thinking about The Little Prince and the single red rose on his tiny planet. Somehow, the two found each other on the canvas.
About the artist
Samira Mohammadkhani is a Seattle-based artist, journalist, author, and educator. Her practice moves between abstract painting, Persian calligraphy, Tazhib, Gol-o-Morgh, and Negargari, bringing Persian literature and art history into conversation with contemporary image-making.
Across painting, writing, and teaching, she explores memory, poetry, identity, and the enduring visual language of Persian art.
Journal
Writing on Persian art, studio practice, poetry, teaching, and the stories behind individual works.
Book Suggestions
A creative life is shaped by much more than talent alone. It requires curiosity, persistence, confidence, discipline, and, for many artists, the ability to turn creative work into a sustainable way of living. The books below explore different parts of that journey, from discovering and protecting creativity to overcoming resistance, sharing work with others, and […]
Persian Art
The Persian garden is more than a green space or an architectural design; it reflects a particular way of seeing nature. Here, nature is not left entirely wild or accidental. Water, trees, flowers, shade, pathways, and architecture are carefully brought together to create a space that feels both real and idealized. Perhaps this is why […]
Persian Art
My Cypress Garden grew from migration, Persian cultural memory, and Seattle’s evergreen landscape—a personal inner garden where my past and present could coexist.
You can purchase Samira’s artworks through her Etsy shop.
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