But Ms Charmand, 20, of St Andrews, says a young boy holding a gun or a man whose body has been ripped apart by a missile makes for more compelling subject matter.

A former Robert Townson High School student, Ms Charmand has been chosen as one of eight Australian women to create a series of artworks for the Muslim Women's Arts Project for the Casula Powerhouse.

This is a national project which is funded by the Human Rights Commission and the Australia Council for the Arts and it will culminate in an exhibition of works next year.

Ms Charmand, who studies fine arts at Campbelltown TAFE, will use her large-scale mixed media works to contrast the difference between growing up in war-torn Lebanon and in a peaceful country like Australia.

"To me, I've always done artworks that lash out," Ms Charmand said. "I like to show people what they don't like to see. Like a boy holding a gas bottle, or a bottle of alcohol, or a man being shot by a missile; it's very gruesome, very confronting."

Ms Charmand's parents were born in Lebanon and migrated to Australia when they were young adults.

"I was born and raised in Campbelltown in a traditional Lebanese family so there were lots of people and lots of food," she said.

"I'm speaking with adults in Campbelltown and Liverpool who grew up in Lebanon during times of war and had to experience fleeing areas and not having any food and drink.

"I'm also working with kids at Robert Townson High School and getting ideas from them and motivating them to be grateful for what we have here now.

"There are a lot of kids who don't know anything about their parents' history."

Ms Charmand said she hoped to continue to work as an artist in the future and hoped to apply for overseas scholarships.