My name is Farah and I am a Muslim and Palestinian artist, crafter, and expert at coloring outside the lines. With roots in Tulkarm, Palestine on my father's side, and England on my mother's side, I currently live, teach, and create on O'odham land (a.k.a. the "Phoenix, AZ" area).

The idea for Art Colored Glasses (and Bahja Brands, my graphic design agency) was first born sometime in 2023, but didn't come to fruition until late 2024. After spending years in cycles of burnout and health challenges, I decided it was time to start imagining and building something different.

I didn't have a clear idea of what I would do with Art Colored Glasses at first, but I knew that it would somehow involve art and tatreez. I wanted to carve out a life where I could immerse myself in meaningful creative pursuits, and bring others along for the ride.

When asked to facilitate my first tatreez workshop, I went in search of alternatives to DMC embroidery thread. I didn't want to support them further after their abysmal response to a petition organized by Palestinian tatreez artists. I happened upon some naturally-dyed sashiko thread, and my curiosity was piqued. Since that day, I have been researching and experimenting with botanical dyes, trying to uncover the methods that might have been used by Palestinians before British and French colonialism disrupted the once thriving textile traditions and economies in Palestine, Syria, and the wider Sham Region (the "levant").

I am of the firm belief that a boycott of unethical products is incomplete without building ethical alternatives. Art Colored Glasses is my humble attempt at building one such alternative and teaching skills to help my community become less dependent on harmful companies and systems.