17^th November 2024 Beena

Morning. I woke up very early today, at 4 a.m., and was unable to go back to sleep. I decided to go to the market by 5:30 a.m. It was still dark when I reached the market, but I was thrilled to find a parking space. As I wandered around, the market slowly came to life with the first rays of dawn, casting a unique and enchanting light on the stalls. I bought some fish and vegetables, and saw the stall selling traditional breakfast stuff. I purchased my favourite ones before I headed home, all the while marvelling at the beauty of the early morning market.

I thought of my latest painting of the sunrise at Lundu. I took this photo many months ago at midday, but I decided to paint it using watercolour in Van Gogh’s style. Van Gogh’s unique use of color and texture, his ability to capture the essence of a scene rather than its exact representation, inspired me. He painted the starry night paintings with acrylic or maybe oil paints. I chose to paint with watercolour, a medium that allowed me to experiment with the same bold and vibrant colors that Van Gogh used. It was a considerable challenge. The paints had to dry between layers, and there must be good water control for the subsequent layers. So, I took many days to paint this painting.

I painted this a few weeks ago. The feeling I got when most of you liked my work was muted. However, this morning, when I went to the market, I thought of the fishermen getting ready to head out to fish. Do they feel any awe seeing the sunrise? Is it just another sunrise to them, or does it hold a deeper, more profound meaning? Then, I reminded myself that whatever happens, the sun will rise. But there is no guarantee that the sunrise will be spectacular. So if you see a gorgeous one, that’s nice. If not, tell yourself, “The sun is having a bad day”. 🤗🤗thank you, dear friends. Stay at peace with yourself.