Painting

A complex dialogue between two art forms — It’s often said that the invention of photography “freed” painters from the need to slavishly represent reality in their work. If a photograph could capture a real-life scene in a matter of moments, then why spend days and weeks toiling over a painted version? As such, the advent of photography…

Making color wheels with YARKA while my creativity is stymied — My mind has been so preoccupied with professional responsibilities lately that I’ve had a hard time eking out enough time to start or finish compositions. But who needs compositions?! Instead, I’ve been working on figuring out my favorite three-color, otherwise called “limited,” palettes. I’ve gotten a bit obsessed with it…

When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras from 2005–2007, Titi was my neighbor in the town of Sonaguera. His appearance was a bit strange. His head was slightly asymmetrical. One day while we were walking to Drive Inn Las Champitas where he was helping me paint a mural…

An informal scene, carefully crafted with interesting details — Edgar Degas was born in Paris on 19th July 1834. He was baptized Hilaire-Germain-Edgar de Gas, but adopted the less pretentious “Degas” early in his career as an artist. His father, Auguste de Gas, was a successful banker, while his mother, Celestine Musson, came from a wealthy colonial family. …

As the sun sets When the hills fall As the sun rises See the mountains fall Dark shadow roof Reflection lake The beat of a hoof Trail of prints in wake A leaf falls Snap of wings A cub calls Mother wolf sings Artist brush stroked Is this what it seems? Leave bear unprovoked Trim all of the seams Leave nothing unfinished Distractions ignore Workload diminished Finished painting is awed.

Reconnecting with who I truly am and what truly matters to me — I find myself walking in a forest at night, surrounded by darkness. A feeling of aloneness engulfs me, and uncertainty fills my mind. I’m lost and afraid, unsure of my next steps. Suddenly, a faint sound pierces through the stillness. It calls out my name, beckoning me to follow. In…

The Painter’s Story — A brush dipped in multicoloured paint, dripping in thick streaks as it navigates the canvas, those delicate gestures slowly thinning as it progresses downwards, truncated and hazing, like fine-ageing, how beautifully the thoughts of a painter transcend and transform, into imaginative events, caressed in poetic beauty. That glowing red sprinkled…

The artist’s largest surviving painting — Born in 1606, the son of a miller from Leiden in the Netherlands, Rembrandt was the greatest of all Dutch painters, living in a golden age for Dutch art. His life was clouded by misfortune — he lost his wife, mistress and five of his six children, and was declared…

A fresco that is a narrative, a reminder and a warning. —