The first kiss (Encounter 5.) Painting

Hi, my name is Monika Harmund Csanyi. I‘m an award-winning contemporary oil painter. Creating art has been a part of my life since I first held a pencil in my hand, and I love sharing my colorful world with others. As an oil painter, I find inspiration in fragments of nature and manmade world. I love to see things from a different perspective, which perspective is also a part of our reality. My main goal is to open the eyes of the viewer and help others to realize how beautiful and colorful our life is. I would like to build bridges between the fantastic world around us and the people who appreciate the tiny, but precious and timeless moments. I consider myself a self-taught painter, but of course I was influenced by a lot of artists – including my middle school art teacher who was an illustrator. She was the first one who told me that I’m really talented and I have to be an artist. I also learned a lot from Michael J. Smith and Layne Johnson, and I was tutored by Tom Sadler landscape painter. My style My work is representational - sometimes with a little twist of impressionistic or abstract elements. I tend to paint series in regard to the exploration of a particular theme or image. My oil paintings can be recognized from strong, intense colors and meticulously elaborated subjects. My biggest passion is water, especially rain, and I’m working on a series using this element. I live in Central-Florida, in a quiet suburban area near to the Wekiva State Park, so I enjoy the rain every day from May until October. This really influences my work, such as my European origin. I was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary – surrounded by rich culture, amazing architecture and treasures of nature, so my memories and experiences constantly inspire me. I had 9 gallery exhibitions and I won 15 awards to date. I have paintings in private collections in the US, UK, France, Belgium and Hungary. I am an associate member of Oil Painters of America (OPA), National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society (NOAPS), American Women Artists (AWA) and the Winter Garden Art Association.