"Composition 3" Painting

I live my art as a medium of meditation and catharsis. The size, scale, colors, technique and subjects of my paintings serve as a reflection of - and often a deflection from - internal thoughts, struggles, and personal evolution. For me, each individual action of choosing a color, mixing paints on a palette, and putting brushstrokes to canvas is a performative ritual of mindful presence and an escape from both past and future. In those moments, I become completely free from myself, and yet there is nothing other or more than me in what I am painting. In the past I enjoyed painting human subjects. More recently, I find myself focusing more on nature not only for its beauty and magnificence and its flora and fauna but also as a framework for the human form. This stems from a reaction to the deteriorating socio-political conditions in our country. Social media and the national news is replete with images of desperate and angry people crying for justice, safety, and basic human rights that remain depressingly out of reach. In a social environment that is politically divided and prevalently negative, I choose to turn my gaze to more hopeful and natural ways of being. Painting beautiful and serene subjects is a choice I have made not only for myself but also for the sake of my audience. I enjoy painting detailed motifs and strive to make my work expressive and visually interesting by balancing intricate details with flat areas. Nature is a symbol of freedom and hope for me, promising an existential escape from the mundane.