The war in Iraq is a growing concern for many Americans, but for one Utah resident, the toppling of Saddam Hussein and American efforts to establish a new government are foremost in his mind.

That's because he's from Iraq.

Kathem Alhamdani immigrated to Utah from Iraq four years ago. Although he and two of his brothers and several cousins are safe in the states, most of his immediate family still lives in Basra an increasingly violent area of Iraq. Alhamdani left Iraq in 1994 and lived in Iran for five years and Syria for two more before he approached the United Nations about coming to the United States. He calls July 9, 2002, the day he came to America, a miracle day.

Now, three years later, Alhamdani has found a way to express his feelings about his country, his background and his family through artwork. On Saturday the newest exhibit of Alhamdani's work, called "Colors of Heaven," will open at Oasis Cafe, 151 S. 500 East in Salt Lake City. The message he hopes to convey through the exhibit is the dream held by Iraqis for a better life.

"I call this 'Colors of Heaven' because of this dream about this country," he said. "A long time ago they called it green Iraq. Iraq means green, very green, very peaceful. I want to say Iraqis, they have a home to build their dream of a better Iraq."

Alhamdani came to the United States because he felt it would help bring him greater opportunities and open doors for new experiences.

"When I came to Utah, I feel safe. . . . It made me want to start working harder. I work harder than I used to in Iran or Syria," he said. "I believe America is the land of opportunity, not only to make money but to do any kind of dream, a dream to be a writer or artist or to tell people (your) message."

Even before he left Iraq, Alhamdani lived through difficult times in the country, including an eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s and the invasion of Kuwait and resulting Gulf War. However, even with the difficult situation in Iraq and the unstable new government, Alhamdani still has hope.

"I have a hope for a better Iraq day after day," he said. "I don't like to be negative, (just) always positive. Just because we have hard times doesn't mean we have to be negative. Always we have to have hope, because with hope we can live longer, and we can be happier."

Alhamdani hopes to showcase this sentiment through the show. The paintings in the exhibit span abstract to concrete images of fish, peacocks and many others with green as a recurring theme.

"I have this relationship with the water and fish because it's a sign of life and peace. If you want to grow a garden, you need the water (and) to build Iraq, too, because Iraq was green," he said. "I hope Iraq's going to be green again. The green is the people in heaven. Their best color is green."