Jello & Yolk

Was I thinking of food when I painted these two? Maybe.. unconsciously ;p  The idiosyncratic names seem to stick whenever I look at them.

Together, the works depict the quaint stone buildings in the little village of Ainsa, capital of the medieval Sobarbe Kingdom, at once mystical and drawing in its aura yet strangely familiar oriental to the asian in me.  Maybe it was the mix of influence of the Celts, Romans, Muslims, and Christians, who in turn left their mark here.  I almost thought the Chinese were here as well.  And the Chinese phrase 古色古香 (literally, antiquity colours and smells) came oft to me as we explored the Spanish medieval town, unlike any other I've seen before.  And come sun down, the spectacular drama of the village lit in orange by the unfolding pink skies was simply unworldly.  Just like the unworldly sanctuary that is Ainsa.

Title: Jello (O72)
Description: The medieval buildings in Ainsa, once Sobarbe Kingdom, each seems to tell a different story, western yet familiar oriental, and evokes deep affection in me like this one. Much like an old friend, hence the name. Spain Vignettes 2011.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.
SOLD.

Title: Yolk (O73)
Description: At once meditative and brimming with emotions and outworldly possibilities, the enigmatic medieval kingdom of Ainsa beckons under its dramatic dusk skies. Spain Vignettes 2011.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.
SOLD.

Soulful

Buildings have souls, or so I believe.  How can they not when they are created by the imagination of humans who surely would have infused their emotions into their handiwork?  How can they not when they blend into the earth and root their existence with nature for time immemorial, oft longer than its creators?  How can they not when real living families dwell within their healing shelters and whisper untold secrets into the walls?  
And so it was that these beautiful dwellings spoke to me when I chanced upon them by the river in the lil' town of Samos, famed for its monastery on the Camino route. And I had to render it thus.

Title: Soulful (O60)
Description: An emotive expressionist work inspired by riverside houses sitting prettily in the lil' town of Samos on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) pilgrim route. Spain Camino 2011.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 80 x 60cm. 
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