The artist Farid Abu Shakra comes from a large family in Um El Fahm which has produced several artists.  In his works a number of motifs appear, the most prominent of which is the cat, drawn in open landscapes lacking any local characteristics.  The background of his works tends towards abstraction with horizontal strips and blended spots of color.  The figure of the cat appears in outline and occasionally contrasting color and occupies the center of the painting; in some paintings the cat appears on a background of bars which separate interiors from exteriors.

Personification of cats affords a layered interpretation of Abu Shakra's works. The cats possess a human variety of bodily and facial expressions showing fear, violence, searching and defense, but also softness and temptation.  "I love cats because of their complex nature and their ability to adapt to and domesticate their environment", says Abu Shakra.  "I am a cat", he adds, explaining himself.

Different civilizations have assigned different cultural meanings to the cat.  For example, in ancient Egypt the cat was one of the symbols of the sun god; the goddess Bastat, who represented the power of the sun to ripen crops, was depicted as a cat's head.  The French, however, have used the cat as a symbol of eroticism.  In Edouard Manet"s painting, "Olympia", the black cat appears on the bed of the sex kitten.  Rudyard Kipling in his short story, "The Cat Who Walked by Himself" depicts the cat as neither friend nor servant to man.

Another recurring motif in Farid Abu Shakra's paintings is the ornament, which sometimes dominates the entire canvas.  In some works the artist incorporates a catlike shadow in his work, thus removing the cat from its natural setting, making it flat and abstract.  The typical ornament in his works consists of a winding stem, leaf and flower.  Its origin is Celtic, Roman and Moslem arabesque and, like the arabesque, the model recurs and spreads infinitely in all direction.  Farid Abu Shakra relates that he fashioned the flower on the Egyptian lotus.  As the culture of the artist, the ornament reflects a blend of east and west.

Another motif found in Farid Abu Shakra's paintings is the fighter plane, looming in black shadow, either defending or threatening.  With planes flying overhead, a pair of cats mates violently below, transposing a feeling of conflict into a political statement.

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