Miscellaneous

Here, I put the unclassified watercolours

Siesta

Early afternoon, sometime in July or August, in Tunisia ... and probably any mediterranean place: the light is blinding, the heat is oppressive, and stomach probably full of tasty food and lots of fluids (water, lemonade, watermelon). It is thus time for siesta!

Thus, you are probably lying still on your back in a dark room trying to get some z's, and passe the brunt of the heat.

In the old days, before air conditioners, the glass panes would be open to let the air circulate, and then you hear the ambient noise and remain connected to your world. Usually, whichever noises you were used to, as a child, would act as lullabies: the continuity is very reassuring.

With air conditioners, the glass panes would be shut, you would have the humming noise of the AC, and totally cut-off from the elements--and the other occupants of the house. In my case, whenever I wake up from an afternoon nap, I am totally disoriented: I don't know where I am: I don't know which house (in-laws, parents, Montreal), what time it is (morning, afternoon, night), and before I start discerning voices behind the closed doors, I have this sinking feeling.

I typically hang the shirt I had on, or a clean one, the good ones (for Tunisian weather) would be breathable and light (e.g. loosely knit linen). And thus, when I wake up, this is the first sight that comes in my visual field. Not exactly a "grounding" sight: it could be anywhere

Buddhist Temple

This temple is in Nara, the city where I stayed for 5 days for an academic conference. The temple looked differently from the other temples in Nara, and more specifically, the Kofukuji Temple (of which, the next painting). Daniel had his theory about what this temple is. It looked "modern" and includes "imported influences" because, according to Daniel, Japanese buildings are not very "detail oriented" (other artifacts are). This one makes extensive use of glass and various ornaments.

Spontaneity - take one

Watercolour painting is known, among other things, for being able to produce quick beautiful paintings that faithfully convey a wide range of moods with few blots of paint and some pencil or pen strokes.

My process is anything but quick, or nonchalant. As I mentioned in the intro, if I had any style, it would be watercolour miniaturist.

I sometimes attempt to free myself. This is one of those attempts. A church somewhere on Sainte Catherine Street, east of Montreal. The picture was taken as I was coming back from Noor's baby shower, some October 28th, 2017.

Keep trying...