I struggle with writing, but I’m going to share my thoughts about my painting. When I paint, I listen to the same classical music playlist. Because of bone spurs in both of my heels, I must paint while sitting on a highchair. The main point I want to share is the feeling I get when I sit back on that highchair and see how beautiful the painting becomes. I’m a self-taught artist, and I never thought I'd be painting, especially with oil paints.
Ever since I saw Impressionism paintings, I fell in love, especially with Claude Monet’s way of painting water lilies. I have much respect for other Impressionist masters like Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Boudin, and Van Gogh. I’ve been painting for almost two years now. I used to go to the North Shore and try to paint en-plein air. But I wasn't achieving the look I wanted—until now.
It’s been months of trial and error and spending lots of money on canvases and different brands of paint. I felt that I needed many colors when I could make a beautiful painting with only eight colors.
I wish the world could see through my eyes and feel through my heart when I look at the colors coming together like that of Monet. It is the greatest high. I would always ask myself; will I ever truly master something like this? But I still have lots to learn and many more paintings to explore. What is my natural style? Van Gogh had the starry night, Monet had his water lilies, Boudin had his seascapes, and Sargent had his loose way of painting detail with no detail at all. But what originality will I bring one day?
I’m happy that I’m finally starting to get it. I even have a picture of Claude Monet on my easel. I hope he’s proud of my brushstrokes. But, boy, what I would give to watch him paint in front of me to learn his ways. Instead, I find myself in museums staring at his paintings up close and studying them hard—every layer. Even at home, I’ll download high-resolution pictures of his paintings and stare for what seems like hours.
I wish I could show the world what I see—the colors, the progress, and hear the classical music notes as I brush some color on the canvas. It’s amazing! I never thought I’d accomplish this much in such a short period. But thank God I kept at it. I feel like I did it! And I hope Monet would be proud.
Bonifacio Luna
May 12, 2022
Claude Monet's photo copyright belongs to monetspalate.com