Feature: Lebanese painter takes art to higher level

Photo taken on June 28, 2019 shows the handcrafts created by Bassel Bou Khzam in his shop in the town of Kfarhim, Mount Lebanon. Sitting alone in a small shop in Kfarhim, a village in Mount Lebanon, with blocks of untouched clay can be very labor intensive. It can take hours to create a basic piece of pottery to start with. The slightest mistake can ruin an entire piece with hours of work lavished over it. But for Bassel Bou Khzam, this is not the case. Bou Khzam enjoys every second spent in his atelier in Chouf, producing creative drawings, 2D clay faces placed on canvas, and other pottery works that reflect Lebanon's culture and traditions. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)