The watercolor paintings that comprise Zahra Marwan's “A Night like Sea Waves” have a twee, whimsical charm — not unexpected for a nine-time illustrator of children's books. But Marwan's fusion of autobiographical narrative, fantasy and cultural commentary far transcends the illustration genre. Without question, these are works of art. My favorites are those, such as “Year after Year after Year,” “Skip, Skip, Skip, Lightly” and “Under the Quiet New Mexican Sky,” where Marwan's tiny people, airplanes and dragonflies move in dusky shadowlands of abstract-expressionist brushstrokes. These works remind me of the narrative paintings of Mary DeVincentis, another underappreciated contemporary artist. Some of Marwan's paintings have decorative borders that allude to Arabic and Persian miniatures, although the cafes and cinemas they enframe are thoroughly contemporary. Birds are a recurring motif, as well, and they all seem friendly, even the falcons. Bad things do sometimes happen in these paintings — people break up, and at least one grieves a dead parent — but there's a sweetness and lightness in the work that's worth defending. With so much tragedy in the world, we could all use a little sweetness.

“A Night like Sea Waves” by Zahra Marwan runs through July 28 at Hecho a Mano, 129 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. For more information, visit hechoamano.org.

Article in the Albuquerque Journal

View All of Zahra's Work Here