The global pandemic situation currently underway has made a tremendous impact on many of us. Never before, my generation had the opportunity to catch up on all the essential aspects of life, such as faith, compassion, and family. In my case, besides those three, during this pandemic crisis, I was able to revive my interest in painting. I honestly hope I can maintain it long after things are back to normal. I know I'd be very excited when I'm able to pick up the camera again, but with this fresh appreciation for painting I now have, I was reminded that painting is yet another way to let loose and flyaway.

With so much news influx, I needed to veer my attention to calm my nerves and fight anxiety. For quite some time, I wanted to feel the tactile experience of exploring a single idea with brush and paint. Long term insecurities made me neglect countless canvases and sketches until life crept in making me realize how silly I was to stop pursuing painting. So, recently, as I was navigating through YouTube, I came across some videos about watercolor techniques featuring Uruguayan painter Alvaro Castagnet and other similar artists that create fantastic scenes departing from a simple snapshot, like Spanish painter Fermin Lopez. Watching videos like that was very validating for me since it's a process that resonates with how I like to work using arrative and being open for the unexpected.

The two pictures on this post are two watercolors I worked on these past few days. They’re painted on lightweight watercolor paper I tore from a pad I found on clearance at Port Chester’s AI Friedman, an art supplies store which sadly is long gone. I had not used my watercolors set for as long as I remember. Both paintings depart from two model photoshoots, the first from one of my most recent shoot with Monika, and the second from a photoshoot I did in 2017. Certainly this is something I will continue exploring.