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Sunny Day

Mixed media on board - 10 x 10 in.

Joan Miró said "Courage consists sometimes of staying close to nature, which could not care less about our disasters." 
I find it incredibly true, in the sense that nautre is here, always present, and that it can take courage to disengage ourselves from the daily dramas, regardless of how terrible they can be, and find solace in nature and what it is to us.
The target is a symbol that I favor, forcing me to remain aware and sharp. Mindful, if you wish. It allows me to create work that is lively, connected to nature, daring to be here, present. 
My hope is that none of my work leaves people indifferent. I'd like to allow people's imagination to wander and wonder, to let the mind dream a little, take us out of the realm of daily news, technology, business and everything that makes us feel overly busy and stressed. 



Dry point portrait of Malik

About 9 x 7.5 inches, printed on Rives BFK.

This was my last project in the printmaking course I took with Eleanor Anderson. I carved it on a piece of plexiglass with a scribe, after having made a drawing from a photo. This is a long process and the printing part is as well, and you don't want to miss any steps or you wind up with a lousy print.
I'm pretty satisfied with this one, the first of 3 and most successful. It totally looks like Malik, although his muzzle is more concave and not so flat on the long part. Aside than that, yep, it's him, and he agreed to it.

Bamboozled

Acrylic on board, 10x10

Art for me is full of surprised as far as the creative process goes. One can fully structure what they will come up with, and I will do that at times, although never fully. I like keeping some margin for surprises. I also work from nothing, spontaneously, and this is where I have no idea what will come out in the end. This very free process keeps me on edge, forces me to keep looking at the piece, finding the way to push it further, until I consider it done. This particular one took me many hours and you can see below what it was like at its early stage.
I can see surrealism in this. I enjoy the odd shapes, how I relate to the quizzical look of the...face ? It is very layered work, and I had my moment of indecision with it. It took stepping away from it regularly for a couple of days, but I trust that I will always come up with a solution.
This is one of the reasons I paint and create art. I like the mystery of it all, the piece that is not yet created and waiting to come to life. So, another one down!

Ethnico

 Acrylic on board 10 x 10

I was inspired by nature and my life in Western African countries. It is built of layers upon layers, some sanding, adding more, and details, and repeating the process. I was also largely working while listening to a Western African radio, as some of my roots will always be there. It had its influence and I'm starting to see it peak through more of my work. I was drawn to work with a warmer palette, and I'm pretty happy overall with the result, as it was a work of patience and many decision to take.