Burdened

"Burdened". A small painting. Oil on panel. Will I ever be happy with anything that I paint?

Life and Death, the great love affair

Life and Death... the great love affair. As every birthday rolls by, I find myself thinking more and more about "transitioning" or what some people may choose to call DEATH. Yuk... anyway, I find this painting uplifting, and full of hope. I like the fact that the girl still "exists" after death, and that she is basically the same being... just in another realm. I dont believe in heaven in a traditional sense, but I do believe that we continue to experience things, just in another realm. The birds represent souls... some off to live their human life, the others, returning to the "source". Anyway, it brings me comfort, hope you enjoy!!

The Armenian Genocide of 1915. In honor of my grandparents, Nishan and Nazli. There is not enough skill or talent to make this painting what I wanted it to be. However, it tells a story. 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were systematically killed, sent on "death marches" to nowhere, where they were starved to death. Or rounded up in villages, and raped and murdered. My grandparents lost their families to the Ottoman Turks. My grandmother watched her mother die and be thrown into the water. She watched her father and brothers murdered in her village. She watched her baby brother die in the arms of her mother, and be layed along the roadside, as the Turks did not allow burials... My grandfathers story is just as gruesome. He was left for dead in his home. Shot through both knees and sliced to pieces by the Turkish swords. Pretending to be dead while he watched his family killed, and not mercifully. I hope this painting tells their story, and shows the utter despair that these orphaned children endured.