About two-thirds of the way through the process, he said, he will look at what he has, determine what it is trying to say, and then add the elements that will make the theme more concrete.
The war in Iraq is a topic with personal significance.
An architect by training, Sakkal spent five years working in Iran for the Peace Corps in the 1960s. He is of Syrian descent and learned that his grandfather was likely killed by the Baath party after helping his family escape Syria amid persecution of Catholics.
He said his understanding of the people and customs of the region led him early on to worry about the repercussions of a pre-emptive war in Iraq. Since then, he has followed the issues closely and been distressed by the outcome of U.S. actions there.
He said art is a useful way to explore these issues.
"You have to read a book," he said. "Art is visual and it's immediate. When you stand in front of it, it hits you. ... It immortalizes a moment in time, and it's available for generation after generation to see."
The show, which is intended to travel as a whole, has been displayed twice before. Sakkal said he was not satisfied with previous efforts to put those exhibits together.
"I decided I'm going to get it curated my way," he said.
The exhibit includes digitally enlarged giclee prints beside the original works that make the tiny details easier to study.
The collages are accompanied by printed descriptions that discuss not only the art but also the historical context and the political events that each piece draws upon. Next to the works, on pedestals, stand books on the Iraq invasion and related topics that Sakkal has found informative.
The exhibit includes five new collages, completed within the past 18 months, that focus on the repercussions of war in the United States. The themes include the environment, the nation's infrastructure and the mortgage housing crisis.
Sakkal "represents a unique style," said Liz Henzey, director of the Columbia Art Center.
"He draws upon his artistic expertise to use his art as an outlet. ... He desires to educate the viewer and provoke them," she said.
The center tries to offer artists opportunities to explore a range of topics, Henzey said, from the lighthearted to the serious.
Sakkal's exhibit "feels like a very timely show given that we have a critical election coming up," she said.
The Columbia Art Center Galleries are at 6100 Foreland Garth in the Long Reach Village Center. The exhibit is free. Information: 410-730-0075 or www.columbiaartcenter.org.
