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 around me and everyday I am captured and captivated by something to paint and in that split second the world and me are at one - united, renewed and present.
As it is said, 'to experience the present, view yourself as an outsider'.....This way we end up noticing things we dont usually see, hear or feel....We find ourself in a moment that we want to keep forever....
Whenever I can I will want to capture what I smelt, how the air felt, the sounds around me of a place I visited. In essence, I remember the feeling that came over me when I was in a particular moment in nature without intentionally searching for the diversity and awe but instead allowing myself to experience it. My ultimate aim is to take the viewer with me on the journey that I had.
One of my landscape would express the silence and serenity of a lake view or another the loud crashing waves on a shoreline. Recent paintings of mine expressing my love for nature, the feeling of tranquility that comes over me when I am painting the natural world are Lands End, Waves and an Evening Sky, Reflections in Stirling and Still Waters - all landscape paintings I have done in 2013.
Since my paintings hold something that I feel and think strongly about and document the beauty of nature I see around me, I consider that by acknowledging this for me it is one way of saving and preserving it.
Two of my landscape paintings which capture much of what I feel strongly about and two abstract paintings were exhibited earlier in July of this year at a local Gallery and coffee shop... the turn out was great ! . do look out for future posts on more of my exhibitions in Kenya........
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 around me and everyday I am captured and captivated by something to paint and in that split second the world and me are at one - united, renewed and present.
As it is said, 'to experience the present, view yourself as an outsider'.....This way we end up noticing things we dont usually see, hear or feel....We find ourself in a moment that we want to keep forever....
Whenever I can I will want to capture what I smelt, how the air felt, the sounds around me of a place I visited. In essence, I remember the feeling that came over me when I was in a particular moment in nature without intentionally searching for the diversity and awe but instead allowing myself to experience it. My ultimate aim is to take the viewer with me on the journey that I had.
One of my landscape would express the silence and serenity of a lake view or another the loud crashing waves on a shoreline. Recent paintings of mine expressing my love for nature, the feeling of tranquility that comes over me when I am painting the natural world are Lands End, Waves and an Evening Sky, Reflections in Stirling and Still Waters - all landscape paintings I have done in 2013.
It has happened more than once that a painting has had an impact bigger than I intended. For instance, ' it was after I painted Lands End and Seas Begin', that I discovered that there are some very rare species in that area including perennial centaury and early meadow grass, western clover, hairy bird’s-foot-trefoil and yellow bartsia and the organisation, PlantLife has rated the location as an 'Important Plant area'. After this, the painting became even more relevant to me of a 'pristine rare place whose species require preservation'.
Or it was after painting the 'Boatride' ( a boatride I took early in May this year along the Dubai Creek) that I discovered that the Dubai Creek was a vital point for trade and transport for the country, UAE and the further development of the Pearls Industry from which later technological developments resulted in Dubai.
Since my paintings hold something that I feel and think strongly about and document the beauty of nature I see around me, I consider that by acknowledging this for me it is one way of saving and preserving it.
Two of my landscape paintings which capture much of what I feel strongly about and two abstract paintings were exhibited earlier in July of this year at a local Gallery and coffee shop... the turn out was great ! . do look out for future posts on more of my exhibitions in Kenya........
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