August arrived with quiet steps on my doorsill while I was basking in the late summer sun rays and I turned and smile, because part of me knew that it was time to say goodbye to July – and partially to summer.
Each year goes by I find myself falling out of love with summer more and more, even though it was always my favorite season – simply because summers have changed. The Sun is no longer the bright ultraviolet blob of warmth that I remember, it’s just a faintly yellow ruthless punish-er. Now I love Spring much more, when I can go in many more adventures, enjoy fragrant flowers, and lose track of time outdoors. Yet still, I think there is beauty in every single season.
The best memories of summer I have are from the very brief moments during my childhood when I went with my family to the Neamt Fortress or Citadel of Neamt, and when, for the first time ever, I had a tiny taste of living much closer to nature. Or when I could escape the apartment and spend a few hours to the botanical gardens, and dream up all sorts of shapes while looking at the clouds.
Despite the passage of years, I rekindled my appetite for adventures and exploration of nature through The Witcher books and through learning art history and abstract painting techniques in my free time.
Paired with those years living in the wild flora of Florida, nature has started claiming more space in my head – and my heart.
In those moments when I pick up the Witcher book or the brush, I’m able to step again into that realm of no time, where hours, seconds, and centuries melt together into a joyous stream of creativity and excitement. I am that silly kid again looking at shapes of the clouds with wondrous eyes, or discovering relics of the past with the imagination of a boundless mind.
Coasting from slippery rocks to wrestling leaves, and from whispering trees to chirpy chatter of morning birds, curiosity has taken me by the hand to discover an entire new world that I could paint – blending stories with real places, and brush strokes with the musicality and vibrance of distant pastures.
This is how my new Summer series inspired by The Witcher have come to life.
To punctuate the beauty hidden in plain sight that we often miss when looking at a natural landscape, I have used neon glow in the dark acrylic paint for the brightest orange and pink shades – which I have thickened with texture paste.
The two paintings (the first of this series) you can see below are influenced by The Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine, which has taken a generous space in my heart, especially with its incredible landscapes and relaxing music, that instantly makes even the most stifling day a bit more bearable. I haven’t managed to watch the third season of the tv series just yet, but the books and the game are more than sufficient for now.
With that being said, here are:
“Ultraviolet (The Road to Kaer Morhen)” and “Anotimpul Furtunilor (Blood and Wine)”
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