"Sky 369" Painting

Although I have always had a deep interest in painting and art from an early age, my lack of skills in drawing held me back from painting. I held the view that I could not paint until I had mastered drawing, and having taken courses at different points in my life, I was never satisfied with my drawing skills. During the pandemic, I decided to throw caution to the wind and take a course in acrylic painting despite my deficiencies in drawing. In a few short months, my passion and desire to paint bloomed, and I began painting at night, and on weekends.

Though I have taken some workshops, I would describe myself as a self-taught abstract artist. I mainly paint abstract acrylics on canvas and paper as well as create mixed media collages. I have a passion for painting and creating art that drives me. Painting is a form of expression and communication that gives me an outlet for my inner world. When I paint, I enter a meditative flow in which time becomes fluid, and all that exists in that moment is the painting.

For me, creating art is a way of reflecting on my inner landscape and then bringing it to the surface. I believe that art can provide a therapeutic and spiritual value both to the artist and the observer who interacts with it. While I sometimes have a specific plan in terms of a concept that I want to express, I often begin painting with a feeling and see what emerges from there. I am drawn to an instinctive form expression without any plan or preconceived idea. As such, the outcome my paintings or collages arise as they are being created.

The two main themes in my art are nature and spirituality. Nature inspires me with its seemingly unending beauty and the sensory experiences it provides daily. For me, nature is the essence of our humanity since we are made of the Earth, and as such, we are part of the Earth and related to all that is on it. While many people see themselves as distinct and superior to nature and think this grants them rights to ownership and rulership over the Earth, I believe our relationship to nature is best viewed as a co-creation among equals.

From a spiritual perspective, I believe there is a Source God or Unity to which all conscious beings belong. Both quantum physics and metaphysics lead to the same conclusion that everything is part of one unified consciousness.