My Art

I am a Colon & Rectal surgeon in Houston, TX. Originally from Pakistan, I have made Houston my home since 2005. I specialize in the treatment of colon and rectal conditions and in Robotic surgery for colon cancer. I am an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Texas A&M University College of Medicine. I am also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, and Royal College of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh.

I draw my inspiration from Islamic art. Islamic art is intricate, serene and symmetric, and reflects the beauty of God and His scripture. I strive to recreate a fraction of the beauty of the Islamic Art enshrined in the iconic images of the Taj Mahal and Alhambra, which are the shining examples of Islamic art.

I paint beautiful intertwining arabesque or geometric patterns in my art to bring serenity and calm to the viewers. At other times, I carve patterns and calligraphy on greenware. This is an intricate and painstakingly slow process and may take months to complete. The green tile is then fired and later glazed or stained.

I draw / create intricate large-scale patterns on blank bisque ceramic tiles, then paint these tiles with glazes. Each tile or plate is individually hand painted with different colors. Then the tiles are fired in an oven and the final product comes out as a shining glazed ceramic tile. When the individual tiles are placed side by side on a wall, they create a beautiful eye-catching mural. Many of my pieces are made up of hundreds of such individual tiles arranged in a mosaic. Others are individual tiles or plates.

I am a Colon-Rectal Surgeon and naturally love to dissect, carve and create with my hands. After a day’s work with the scalpel & forceps, I relax with the brush and glaze to create calligraphy on ceramic tiles in the evenings. In doing so, I find peace and tranquility and this is my spiritual escape. This is my hobby and my passion!

I hope you like my art too.

If you would like to commission my art please email me at kazimuddin@gmailcom. I am specifically interested in doing large scale murals.

99 Names Of Allah

Glazed and hand painted ceramic tiles. 9×7 ft, Champions Mosque.

This large-scale mural is on permanent display at an ISGH mosque in Houston. It was installed in 2014. This particular piece consists of 254 individual 6 inch tiles, each bearing one of the 99 names of Allah written in the Tuluth script. In the center is a large-scale Allah is written surrounded by a lighter blue border emanating light from within.

Carved Ceramic Tiles

I love to carve ceramic tiles as well. Carving is usually done with a scraping tool on soft green clay. It is a painstakingly slow but meticulous process which involves carving out small pieces of Greenware from the surface of the tile leaving behind some raised edges to create a beautiful pattern.

This process is very tedious and painstakingly slow. It is a very delicate task and may take up to many months to accomplish. I have made both calligraphy art as well as arabesque art on Greenware. Once the design is completed the tile is fired to make the clay hard. At this stage the tile is either glazed or stained to make it into a beautiful art piece.

Arabesque Column Art

Glazed and hand painted ceramic tiles with real gold accents. 1.5 x 12 ft, Champions Mosque.

These five large scale art pieces adorn the five columns of Masjid Al Salam. Each column art has a beautiful arabesque pattern in two panels. And in between the two panels there is a square tile with either Allah or Mohammed written in Kufic script. Both Allah and Muhammad are written in 14 karat gold.

Each of the individual tile pieces is handcrafted and designed and then painted with a ceramic glaze. They are then fired in a kiln to obtain the final product

Wall Niche: Fusion Of Geometry, Arabesque and Calligraphy

I made this tile for my own home. This is a Mosaic tile art (4 x 7 ft.) with a beautiful blend of geometric pattern and arabesque. I had always wanted to make something where the two will seamlessly blend into and complement each other. I have included pictures from various stages of creating this piece. Hope you will enjoy it.

The geometric pattern with eight pointed star is everywhere representing The Omnipresent not only bringing comfort and serene order to the eyes but also depicting His sublime nature. Inside each star is a tulip which represents God in the Turkish tradition.

The Arabesque border represents the infinite intertwining of the leaves in a never ending repetitive pattern once again signifying the infinite interminable nature of God.

The central mandala represents the centripetal nature of God and everything in universe is converging towards and drawing inwards to the one and only center.

Knowledge is Light

My tiles on permanent display at Islamic Institute in Dallas

Traditional Turkish style red and blue ceramic glazed tile. Six 6×6 tiles in a mosaic mural. Can be framed or mounted on wall.

Central blue area with specks of white light showing thru. Red border with arabesque pattern.

Calligraphy; “Knowledge is Light” in Diwani style

Methodist Hospital Mihrab

Mihrab commissioned and installed at the Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. It took about six months to complete the design, hand painting and glazing of these tiles.

Th Calligraphy inscription reads: And those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in throngs until, when they reach it while its gates have been opened and its keepers say, “Peace be upon you; you have done well; so enter it to abide eternally therein.” Al Quran: 39:73.

Mihrab is the focal point of the mosque. It is the arched doorway facing Mecca and taking you on a spiritual journey to The Sacred Mosque. This Mihrab consists of 214 pieces of glazed ceramic tiles. I have included all four elements of Islamic art here. The interminable outer arabesque border signifies the infinite nature of God. The geometric art at the base creates serenity and peace by creating a repetitive, never ending, symmetric pattern. The spoken word of God from the Quran is inscribed in Arabic calligraphy. Illumination or “Tezhip” on both sides of the arch is the art of adding gold and light to beautify the words of God and represents the enlightenment that comes from these verses.

Shahadah

21 tiles, 12×12 inch each, in traditional blue and yellow. This tile is on permanent display at the Bear Creek Mosque in Houston.

The Prophet Series

An Artist’s response to the Charlie Hebdo Cartoons: I had made 3 murals in “The Prophet Series’; (1) Rafa na laka Zikrak (2) Rahmat ul lill aalameen (3) Sallal la hu alaihe was sallum. All, to glorify the elevated rank of our prophet.

Each consists of a set of twelve 8×8 inch ceramic glazed tile, hand painted and gold embellished and baked in a fire kiln.

These mural are wall mounted in public place and are weather and wear and tear resistant.

A set of 3 murals praising the Prophet as he is above all earthly matter

Rafa’na Laka Zikrak: “We (God) have elevated your rank above all things”
Sallal la hu aliehe sallam: “Peace be upon him”
Rahmatul lil aalameen: “Prophet is mercy for all the worlds”.

Set of twelve 8×8 inch ceramic glazed tile, hand painted and embellished in 14 k gold and baked in a fire kiln.

Assorted Mosaics

These are some flat small-scale murals that I have made. They are made up of individual tiles and together they form a beautiful mosaic. They can be mounted on a wall or flat surface. Each piece is individually hand drawn and then hand painted with ceramic glazes. Once fully painted these are baked in a kiln to blossom into the final finished product. These murals range in size from 6×12 inches to 3×21 ft and are decorating numerous public places and homes.

Assorted Squares

I have made some square tiles. These vary from 4×4 inch to 12×12 inch in size. They can be displayed with an easel of table top surface or hung or glued to the wall. They are sure to bring some color and barakah to your room. I do either arabesque or calligraphy on these tiles. They are all glazed and then fired to bring out the best of colors

Boxes

These square 6×6 inch tiles are mounted on wooden boxes creating fun items for your desk. Great style and utility.

Plates

Here are some plates that I made. These are ideal for wall hangings or just to place of a flat surface with a stand.

Prophets in Islam

At display at the Champion’s Mosque. Antique finish with crackled glaze. Total of 192, individually hand crafted, six inch tiles complete this mural

The prophets that are common between Christianity, Judaism and Islam are written on this mural. There is an English version of the name as well. Both English and Arabic fonts used are made to look old and antique.