The Artist

Below is a picture of my first painting for the year 2013.  It is a self-portrait, entitled "The Artist."  It portrays me, Cyril Maza, painting on canvas.  It is an acrylic 24" X 36" portrait painting on canvas.

 

There is something special about this painting, beside being my self-portrait.  You see, I finished it on the 13th day of January, 13 years after the second millineum (2013) or 1/13/13, in my apartment that has a street number of 13131.  Funny, how the numbers are full of one's and three's, isn't it? 

Not only that, I finished this painting after fasting for two days, from Thursday evening (January 10) to Sunday morning (January 13).  I don't know how I did that (fasting), but I guess, I was just too busy painting that I had never even thought about eating within those two days.  I could have continued fasting, but my wife who was in the Philippines for vacation at that time, called me and reminded me to eat.  She got worried, after learning that I had not eaten anything since that Thursday evening.  I will never ever forget those days, for this painting will ever remind me of them.

I have already received several comments on this painting.  One comment came from a friend who said she was wondering how I was able to paint myself here.  She said, I seem to be looking at a mirror while painting this piece. 

I told her, "No.

I was not looking at a mirror while painting this.  I actually got a photograph of myself, taken by my wife (Lorna), painting our own version of Renoir's 'Two Sisters on a Terrace."  I used that picture as my starting point.  I copied that picture, but changed the colors of my shirt (white in the picture) and my pants. I also changed the background, added the table, the glass jar, the paints, and the paint brushes.  And, instead of showing the unfinished version of Renoir's painting, I showed a landscape with clouds, mountain, trees, and a lake."

The painting I was painting in the painting was supposed to look unfinished, hence I had actually refrained myself from adding more details and colors to it.  I was actually tempted to add the reflections of mountains, trees, and clouds on the water; but, I just intentionally refrained myself from doing so.  I said to myself, "save that for your next landscape painting."

Well, yes, I will probably come up with a landscape painting, similar to what I just described above, very soon.  Please watch out for it!