Zahra Jlayer

Zahra Jlayer is a physician pathologist and former medical examiner based in New Rochelle, New York. She grew up in an artistic household; her father was a self-taught artist and poet whose creative spirit shaped her early love of painting. Though medical school limited her time in the studio, her passion for art never faded — during those years she stayed connected to the arts by curating exhibitions for her father.

After completing her pathology residency in New York, Zahra returned fully to her artistic practice. Her work at the microscope — studying the human body at the cellular level — became a powerful source of inspiration for her abstract visual language. The intricate patterns, organic structures, and luminous details observed in pathology inform her exploration of abstraction.

Drawn to the freedom of contemporary art, she found renewed purpose in painting after her father's passing. Returning to canvas and color became both a creative and emotional reconnection — a way to honor his legacy through her own evolving practice.

Zahra works primarily in fluid art and pour painting, exploring the interplay of color, movement, and chance. Each piece begins with an intentional palette and conceptual direction, then unfolds through a balance of control and spontaneity — revealing unexpected forms, textures, and emotional depth. She frequently incorporates resin, fluid acrylics, and gold leaf, drawn to their luminosity and expressive potential. Most recently she has begun exploring encaustic painting, expanding her practice into layered, tactile expression.

Her artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions and is held in private collections. As founder and curator of Vanda Gallery, she presents bold, thought-provoking contemporary art in the heart of New Rochelle.