The room was, as Hemingway would say, 'a clean, well-lighted place' and it was soon filled with a crowd of Montreal's elite personas, capped by the appearance of Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest and First Lady Michelle Dionne, who stayed for quite a while, admiring the art and enjoying the camaraderie with the electorate. Samir's paintings continue along a path he has found himself on for the past decade or two. He has a sweet vision for the world, making for paintings of exceptional beauty and tranquility. Even in the movement of great fields of wheat, forests, olive groves and floral scenes there is a stillness to which many collectors are attracted. In addition, Samir brought out a few of his early works (not for sale) and a collection of the cityscapes of Montreal. These are also quite breathtaking. Not monumental, but modest snippets of a beautiful city caught as only one who has visited the scene a thousand times can. His eye is severe, his brush strokes delicate and his demeanor throughout his entire body of work is consistent. Samir is like a poet who has found his voice, likes it, and continues to mine it. There are no gimmicks here, no grandstand plays, just a sense of serenity that prevails."