TEHRAN – “Flower and Bird”, an oil painting by Iranian artist Maryam Najafi, has been selected for the Winsor & Newton Student Painting Competition in London.

The Damonfar Visual Arts Festival in Iran organized a competition on the national level to select works for the international contest, Damonfar director Seifollah Puya-Rad said in a press release on Tuesday.

Najafi, 32, also received $500 worth of W&N products for “Flower and Bird”, which is from her series “Breathing Is Easier in Sleep”.

“Flower and Bird” depicts the face of a woman in profile with a crow on her head against a background of floral motifs.    

The painting was selected from numerous works judged by a jury of Masumeh Mozaffari, Behrang Samadzadegan and Maryam Khansari.

All the top winners from different countries will be taking part in the final competition in London.

The final winner will have a three-day trip to England along with a companion and will pay a visit to the Winsor & Newton Headquarters in London.

The Damonfar Visual Arts Festival is organized biennially in Iran by the Damonfar Company, which is the Iranian representative of France’s Pebeo and Germany’s Faber-Castell, two companies that manufacture art materials. The company also represents W&N in Iran. 

Photo: “Flower and Bird” from Maryam Najafi’s series “Breathing Is Easier in Sleep”.

RM/MMS/YAW