An Iraqi artist carries a ladder as he walks past mural paintings on a concrete security wall in Baghdad's Saadun street April 29, 2007. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud

"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi artist Murad paints a flower-covered balcony overlooking a tranquil ocean view, but his work on a long stretch of blast walls in central Baghdad seems a world away from the tension that surrounds him.

Wailing sirens and gunfire from speeding official convoys frequently scatter the slow-moving traffic that fills the air with exhaust fumes in Saadoun street, a major commercial road where a 600 meter-long (1,968 ft) concrete blast barrier protects a hotel and banks from bomb attacks."

[ read Iraqi artists bring color to dull blast walls | Reuters.ca ]