Samir Khurshid is an Iraqi painter living in Portland, Oregon. From humble beginnings sketching portraits in the marketplace of his Iraqi hometown, Samir has traveled a difficult road to arrive in Portland, Oregon. Once a portrait painter of Saddam Hussein, completing almost 400 portraits of the former dictator during his compulsory military service, Samir became a beloved portraitist at American military Forward Operating Base Bernstein after the fall of Hussein’s regime. When anti-American factions labeled him a traitor and threatened his life and his loved ones, he escaped to Turkey, where he painted the portrait of the Mayor of Istanbul, and nearly accepted an offer to be smuggled to Italy in order not to be deported back to Iraq. Instead, Samir got on the UN refugee list and waited five years to be sent to Portland to start a new life in America, where he arrived in 2010. He works out of his studio at the Falcon Art Community and in 2012 he was the recipient of a prestigious, year-long Calligram Falcon Fellowship.
Press -
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/arts/iraq-portraits-saddam-hussein.html
Unexpected Challenges
”I Am Not Just Here To Make You Cry”
The Immigrant Story
https://theimmigrantstory.org/painting/
Willamette Week
https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-20414-rise-of-the-falcon.html
Portland Interview Magazine
https://portlandinterviewmagazine.com/interviews/art/samir-khurshid-painter/
PDX Monthly Magazine
https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2013/1/10/interview-calligram-foundation-january-2013
Khurshid has at times relied on his talent for painting to save his life. Originally from Iran, Samir first turned to drawing as a way to find entertainment while living in poverty at a young age. As he grew older he maintained a strong passion for painting and gradually harnessed his skills. When his time came to serve in the military, under Saddam Husseins regime, his talent was put to the test when he was required to create portraits as fights for the brutal dictator. When the conflict in Iraq escalated, Samir circumstances became increasingly dangerous. Eventually he was forced to leave his country and seek protection as a political refugee. After five years in Turkey, he relocated to Oregon in 2010. In Portland, Samir found a life of freedom and opportunity. As word spread about his talent, he found found support in the community and eventually received a Calligram Falcon Fellowship. He now works out of a studio with Falcon Art Community.