The Paintings of Marc Chagall

I have been very fortunate in my life in that I have been witness to some wonderful events.

My father was always very keen on art and through his work in the City of London he was invited to a private showing of a major retrospective exhibition of the works of Russian Artist, Marc Chagall. The exhibition opened in January 1985 and needless to say I went with him - canapes and champagne abounded.

I have had since then a lifelong love of his paintings especially the way he reminisces about his home and roots in Vitebsk, his paintings of floating figures, and his use of colour.

Recently I was given the most fantastic birthday present from my mother - a copy of the biography of Chagall, Love in Exile by the author and Chief Art Critic for the Financial Times, Jackie Wullschlager. I would recommend this book to anyone as it is not just a book about a great artist but one about a struggle to survive and love all that is dear to you under the most extreme conditions.

I could not put the book down, and whilst I was reading it, it constantly reminded me of that visit to the Royal Academy with my late father. I felt an overwhelming pain of sadness when on the last but one page of the book, I learnt that shortly before that exhibition closed on the 28th March, "after a day spent quietly working in his studio, Chagall had a heart attack as he was leaving the elevator from his studio to the living quarters of La Colline, and died instantly."

One trip on the very top of my wish list is to his home in the South of France where his spent the last of his days and to his Museum there.

Original and Creative Artwork: Aloha Series

Can we truly say that our work is original?

I love researching ideas especially those relating to travel and faraway lands. One of these ideas related to the word "Aloha" - the traditional greeting from Hawaii. When I looked into its deeper meanings I found many interesting things. The spirit of Aloha was an important lesson taught to the children in Hawaii in the past. I chose to portray my interpretation of Aloha within three works of art. One called "Transformation", which represents the transformation of energy - burning, sparkling and decay. Another I called "InnerPeace" because to me it also represented the steady, constant beating of the heart - in harmony with mother earth. In the final work, named "Awakening" (pictured here) I used a part of the wonderful creation story of Papa (father sky) and Wakea (mother earth) who have a child that dies at birth and is buried, however from the body grows a shoot that becomes the first plant on earth - the Taro plant; a staple diet of the Polynesian people. Haloa (Aloha) also means "everlasting cycle" which is a reason why the series includes many waves and circular brushstrokes.

A small word that to many has only one meaning, has inspired me to use my creative skills in producing a series of watercolor studies and acrylic paintings. Check out the series in my new website: www.artphotographypaintings.com

Am I being truly creative and original ? - Please, I would be interested to hear your views.