Art of Taskin

2013  has flown by very fast.... The year has been interesting and eventful too...I ended the year in reflection of all the special moments : discovering new techniques and possibilities in drawing, opening of my new gift shop, getting sales through my gift shop, starting giclee prints selling on Fine Art Europe, art exhibitions in Kenya, exploring new avenues in arabic and african art, starting a new website and ofcourse painting, painting and more painting !!! It was a very fulfilling  2013 and I look forward to the new year !! :) May this year bring more unforgettable memories, special moments to share and better things to come.... I start the new year with 'still life' painting ...... Happy New Year to all of you ! :)

My first painting for 2014 is a 'still life'. This week I have been working on a study of fruits. As I had promised in earlier posts of still life arrangements in colour, I have created a simple one here as a study of colour, tone, shadows, & light. I have found that trying subjects I have not worked on for awhile does help to reconnect with the fundamentals of composition as well as implement shadow work and the use of light,direction and perspective in a painting. In this piece I have tried to intentionally reduce the subject matter, simplify and avoid cluttering the arrangement so as to focus on the fundamentals.Still life drawing allows me to brush up on my methods for paintings and also sometimes where a new idea comes from for a future painting. I feel with still life drawings I  preparing myself for making a painting in the future. Below is an  illustration of the process for the still life, the first picture being the real life still life... ....You will ...

A Still Life Drawing comes with a host of possibilities. A few things are certain it must be able to draw the viewer in, it must be placed well and it must tell a story. Even if that story may not be seen straight away the viewer must be able to take something away. As much as colour and texture do to add to the vibrancy, mood and energy of a still life, a value study (studying the values - darkness and lightness and tones) is something that gives me direction in my paintings. It becomes much more easier when later putting paint on canvas. I need to make fewer turn backs and corrections, it allows the process to be much smoother and most of the time a value study provides a point of reference in tonal range for the painting. Here is a step by step illustration of the still life drawing of 'A Toast to Family', which I completed recently. I intend to take this drawing to canvas in paints so look out for a painting done in colour of this in my future posts.        ...

As my fascination with florals continues and my development in painting flowers from close observation also continues, as a symbol of the reunion of two souls after separation and a testament of their loyalty, 'Red Lily' was created.  Most of my floral paintings are done spontaneously. I do not usually sketch them on paper but have a general idea in my mind as to the end result before putting paint to canvas. I prefer with my florals to dive straight into the painting and allow the picture to paint itself. This painting was given as a gift to a  dear relative :                                          Near and Dear oil on canvas 45 cm x 35 cm                       ...

While thinking about the concept of 'being free', three themes come up very strongly in my opinion which are the universal philosophy of 'peace, love & unity'. Saturday, 21 Sept. 2013  marked a day when Kenya was hit with one of the most devasting major terrorist attacks in its history and I write this in memory of those who lost their lives and as proud Kenyan that my fellow brothers & sisters showed that through adversity Kenyans are united regardless of creed, race, religion or social status.....(during the attack Kenyans helped each other to escape the attack, men carrying babies and children out of the scene,onlookers volunteering themselves to holding the wounded to safety and after the attack paramedics rushing to the scene and doing their level best, volunteers in numbers arriving to donate blood, security forces working jointly with other agencies to maintain calm). Solidarity, unity and oneness was evident throughout the ordeal which reminded me : ...

Since I was in high school, I would draw landscapes, animals, plants & flowers. My love for art has always intermingled with my love for poetry and the natural world as I thought and saw it. Having a Father who writes poetry,books and paintings around me, a supportive family and also friends from various fields, including the Arts was always a plus point in my discovery and rediscovery of my passion. As Ralph Emerson put it ' the universe is - nature and the soul'. For me, painting was always like 'second nature', an experience that got me closer with who I am. As many say a landscape painting shows the soul of the painter as much as the spirit of a place. Through my landscape paintings I am able to express what is in my soul freely.  Usually I do not need a very broad palette to do justice to my landscapes as I will make colour choices and mixtures with a limited palette ( of six oil colours mostly) and still get the outcome I want. The inspiration is all a...

 Drawing is one of the first artistic endeavors any artist goes through in their life. For me one of my first forms of communicating like speaking or writing. It has become an active part of my life today. It is this amazingly satisfying act of drawing and that excitement in putting lines together to create an image or design that creates a sense of achievement and also internal peace which keeps me coming back to the drawing board. The break I had from drawing for me was indeed a break from being able to develop on making those lines and connecting the dots more accurately, however after returning now to drawing and painting I am able to fully appreciate the time and value in it and give drawing an even more defined appearance in my life. Although time has passed, concepts have developed and techniques evolved, putting marks on a paper and translating feelings onto paper has remained the same. The act of drawing itself has remained. When I start with picking a pencil and a...