Big Dreams

"Big Dreams"
Oil on Canvas

This painting was inspired by photo i took of a young girl in Guatemala, whom I bought 5 bracelets from in exchange for her cooperation. Her optimism caught me. When I was her age I was busy complaining about the boundaries of catholic school while she had to saunter the streets of Antigua to help provide for her family. But none of that even mattered to her. In her, I saw no revelation of despair but rather a childlike hopefulness and yearning so radiant it seemingly nullifies the grim realities of poverty.

"Me, We"
Oil on Canvas

Traveling has taught me that much of what we all share in common seem to hold constant across class, race, ethnicity and religion. The human experience binds us like a center axle connecting the different spokes of a wheel; a firm hub of love, tragedy, hate, hope, and grief that connects us in life's whirling journey.

From your album:
Brushwork

My first ever oil paintings! The first time I used oil paints I knew I have found the ONE. Bye bye water color, bye bye acrylic. For the longest time I have been pushing away the thought of using oil paints for no apparent reason at all. What was I thinking?! Perhaps because I did not want to deal with all the baggage that comes along with mastering something new. Perhaps I was intimidated. Maybe because I disliked the notion of the medium "upgrading" the value of my art. Or perhaps I was insecure, that I wasn't ready to tackle it yet as an artist, much like how you would feel if you're a newbie actor asked to do justice a scene with De Niro or Streep. But a recent trip to the Guggenheim tramped all that nonsense. Many artists have used this media and stretched its limits, opening up new thoughts about visual perception and obliterating the boundaries of beauty and art. Now, isn't that something worth trying?