Medium: Oil on Canvas
Can you recall who or what encouraged you to do the thing you love most in life? Can you remember who supported you and acted as your cheerleader as you continued to develop and grow? When it comes to my love of painting, I can tell you exactly who inspired me…. You guessed it, MY MOM! She never ceases to share her encouragement, constantly pushing me to create and grow, especially when I lose confidence in what I do. She believes in me, and it’s amazing.
As long as I can remember, watercolors and oils could be found in our home. Sometimes in use, and sometimes on a shelf, making the space look more colorful. You could always see my moms love for painting, whether it was painting something of her own, or appreciating a work by one of the “great masters.” She brought art into our lives, showed us and taught us how to create, inspiring creativity in all of us. I can even remember my sister and I painting, with watercolors, along side her. Even when bringing up two kids (with my dad) took up a fair share of her time, she always made sure she was working on something, even if it was just a sketch.
Just like my mom believes in me, I believe in her. Her paintings are amazing, and she’s a little shy about sharing them with others. It’s about time people see work by the true talent in our family (don’t worry, I know she will love to see her work up on this site, call it intuition). Below are three oil paintings completed by my mom. I had hoped to post some of her watercolors as well, but since they are behind glass, it was too difficult to capture them in a picture.
Artist: Zerrin Salih
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Medium: Oil on Canvas
What never ceases to amaze me is how different our styles. She is amazing in how focused, disciplined and detail oriented she is. She makes sure that everything appears lifelike. Me, I like to exaggerate certain elements in a picture. The time she invests in getting every color correct, making sure that each leaf is in place… it’s amazing. Often we chat about the progress of both of our paintings, and I must admit, I am honored to be able to provide creative feedback to someone so talented. In 20 years from now, I hope that I can look around me, and know that I have such a positive impact on those in my life. Mom, I love you, and I thank you for everything you have done for me and my art… even for the paint by numbers you bought me when I was a kid.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Everyone, please take a moment to enjoy.
Koray (Core-EYE) Salih
