What is a friend?

Sometimes we have a friend and we sense that our souls are very closely connected. We know that the connection is above time and space. We know that wherever we are in our lives we will always remain friends. Even if we do not see each other for years we are able to pick up right where we left off. This is what people mean when they say friends forever.

Kemo, your innate ability to embrace all that you are- To live your life loud and proud filled with colour. This is truly inspiring. When I was on the verge of finally excepting who I was you were there to guide me down the yellow brick road of pride and self acceptance Thank you my dear friend🤎🌈

I spend a lot of time alone Sometimes it is by design others it is by circumstance. My mind is constantly turning, changing the channel wandering aimlessly around the dial.

I am continuously searching for that one moment where everything is clear. I am always searching for the next great connection that next moment in life that I know in this moment. This is exactly where I should be.

There are subtle flashes of clarity. Like that perfect sitcom when I am able to turn up the audio. Given to the laughter, and accept the often ridiculous storyline that is before me.

Then there are the other times. I feel completely disconnected fuzzy, and distorted, much like the TV screen that has lost its connection. Lost its signal.

July 17, 2003 was my first time seeing @johnmayer In concert and also what happened to be my 16th birthday. It was so cool to watch this future seven-time Grammy winner and young emerging artist at work. Wowing the crowd with that perfectly placed song lyric. The subtle yet complex cord-changes, or the face melting guitar solo! In case you haven’t figured it out, I am a fan! 17 years after that great transformative concert, I’d like to think I have found my perfectly placed song lyric… my subtle yet complex chord- changes and my face melting solo! I am not famous and probably will never be. My song lyrics not as perfectly placed, and admittedly I have had far too many subtle yet complex chord changes on this journey. My instrument is different, 🖌but my passion is very much the same!

White lines breezing through me. Like the cold December wind.

Restricting the breath of this warm soul. The deep erratic confusion of the brush.

Reminds me even though this shell is confined by these synthetic shackles. This soul is as warm as the Summer rain evermore.

Red has a range of symbolic meanings, including life, health, vigor, war, courage, anger, love and religious fervor. The common thread is that all these require passion, and the "life force" that drives passion blood is red. When people become angry their faces become flushed with color. When they're happy and healthy, they have rosy cheeks (whereas when they're sick or dying, they have a deathly pallor, lacking in red). When men fight, blood is spilled. In all cases, red blood manifests itself in connection to passion. Colors were so powerful in traditional cultures that red objects were believed to convey health through their color alone.

When my life seems to be particularly overwhelming I like to imagine myself floating in the ocean, free of any restraints, free of any pain, or thoughts that typically envelop my space on dry land.

Picture warm sun kissed waters for as far as you can see. The gentle breeze of summer air coursing through your body. The crystal clear sky that gives a clear canvas of possibilities, and the gentle current that cradles you just long enough to be absorbed by the ocean calm.

Due to unfortunate events that have unfolded in our country recently I took the time to paint this painting . I understand the importance of my place as a settler in this country we call Canada. We are all just pigments in a wheel, it is our responsibility to stop talking and listen to those who were silenced.

“Naked Truth”

This painting was a departure from what I normally like to paint. This painting was inspired by a photo posted by another artist Eli Salas @elisalasthethird. I just had to paint my interpretation of the human body and how artistic the naked body can be. This painting toils between vulnerability and confidence. When it relates to how I view my body I have never been comfortable with what my body is and how the world sees it. So when I saw this photo I felt confident and was able to see the beauty in me, because being vulnerable is the most powerful artistic tool you can have.

Do you ever imagine that you are somewhere different than reality says you are? Do you ever get lost in your dreams? For this artist the place is the desert. The place where time is not wasted but rather treasured, the place where all your problems are melted by the desert sun. Imagining somewhere sweet like the sensation of your feet touching the desert sand. Forgetting about what's to come and focusing on the moment that is in front of you. Like the mountains that greet you with every sunrise. It may be just a desert dream, but remember dreams do come true!

Coffee is the cure of all things in my life,  when I'm feeling stressed, anxious, happy and thirsty for connection; I grabb a coffee! In this time of uncertainty and confusion, I was thinking what activity do i miss the most: the answer is always Coffee. For me this beverage is more than a stimulant , Coffee is the agent that allows social networking to thrive.  It gives me the chance to connect with new friends and catch up with old.

For this painting I wanted it to feel as if you are engrossed in the best conversation, pared with the perfect first sip of Coffee. I used real coffee for the backdrop, layering it till I got the perfect espresso colour. With every cup that I now share by myself I remember the feelings that I had in a crowded Coffee shop. I miss the ambient conversations faded in the background, the strong smell of freshly brewed Coffee, the sound of the steemer getting ready to meet the cup and friendly faces that greet you with your regular cup of happiness.

When I was trying to define the meaning of this painting the title that spoke to me most was “Nirvana”. Nirvana is defined In Buddhism - a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth.

After reflecting on this piece, the final feeling was one of calm understanding of the world and ready to accept whatever comes my way.

These series of three paintings is inspired by everyone who has supported me and given me the courage to live my life honestly, and proud!

After reflecting for a while on an appropriate description for This series, I came across something I wrote last year with each line the words became even more relevant today.

For everyone that has supported me in the past year you know who you are. Your love truly means the world to me!

I felt through so many aspects of my life I was living in a black and white world. I was afraid of showing my true colours for so long and I am finally able to be free and who I am. I am ready to experience life and love the way it was intended. These paintings is a true expression of the joy I feel through this new journey. Being your authentic self is the best gift you can give to yourself and to the world. I wasn’t thinking about how my life should be, but instead of how good it could be. The colours of the paintings have been a true representation of how positive a journey this has been for me. This is to new beginnings.

For this painting I focused on pouring technique, allowing the colors to meet and flow freely. I allowed color to move freely using only the law of gravity the rest was decided by the naturalistic medium of paint.

This work presents the subtle suggestion, that rules are not always important. What is important is the ability to adapt to whatever life brings, and go with the flow.

For this piece I concentrated on sharp clean angles. During the process of creating this, I reflected on life and how we as humans are constantly asked to evolve and reevaluate what truly matters to us. Reframing what is going to make us happy. This painting reflects simplicity and being content and the notion that life is a series of puzzle pieces, and it is our duty to put them together the way we see fit.

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This work came to me right around New Years, and like the rest of the world I reflected on the year that was, and the year ahead. It awakened the idea of hope and better times, and the realization that we are all victims of blind hope. Hope is a powerful frame of mind that suspends the universe in the state of optimism. Hope is the intrinsic force that allows us to believe in a better tomorrow.

These 3 paintings were reminiscent of a puzzle and how puzzles are a metaphor for our own lifes. We are all looking for our other half, filling the void with pieces that don't fit. I know I'm not alone when I say we are all looking for that one piece of the puzzle that will make our world complete. If you are lucky enough to discover the colour to fill the void of darkness, treasure it.

Imagine you are trapped under the ice surface unable to break through. This is how I felt for the last 10 months.

I started by adding texture to the piece. I was reminded of the distinctive feeling of isolation. The contrasting bold moments of colour peeking through the uneven strokes.

Reflecting on this work I was reminded to concentrate on this thought… Although it has been dark and tragic at times, the promise of brighter and better days are always peeking through the Ice surface.

These series of paintings explore the thought of plans we set forth for ourselves, or the direction we think our world should take us and how we should live our lives. This is represented in the two linear paintings of the series.

When life does not play out the way we had hoped, sometimes we feel the weight of the world and believe it to be shattered.

Ultimately, life is abstract and uncertain, sometimes resulting in the fear of the unknown, the fear of the abstract. This challenges us to find peace and comfort in this shattered world.

For this painting I thought a lot about emotion. Specifically the emotion of fear and how it is so easy during times like these for fear to be the first emotion to come to the surface. As I began to study the layers of the painting , and the deep contrast between colors, I was reminded of all the challenges and all the uncertainty everyone faces in their lives.

As the colors became one and complemented each other on the canvas the idea of fear evolved into Perspective, and how we could all use fear as a motivation to channel positivity. It’s kind of like that old adage, don’t run away from a challenge – run towards it. Don’t embrace fear… but rather be comfortable with it

The thought process behind this work was simple. I tried to imagine an alternate state of mind ,where time does not exist… Ominous thought maybe ? But think about this – without the concept of time there would be no room for hatred, no space for division. And no time for worry. Through these metallic parallel lines is the dark yet peaceful background. My goal through this work was to present a state of silence, peace, and utter tranquility.