Title: "Happiness is love, disguised with a smile”
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 40" x 30"
I guess when I started this project, the goal was to fill some space on a wall. A friend of mine had commission me for a painting, and his direction was he wanted a painting for his office done in my (Koray’s) style…to quote him loosely. There was not much more direction beyond that. Ahhhh, the pet peeve of many a painter.
Where to start? I knew that when this painting was done, it would hang in an office, an office that is visited daily by people in desperation, in hope and determination…people who have been all the way there and back. You see, this painting is to hang in an Oncologist’s office (in laymen’s terms, a Cancer Doctor). The goal of the painting was clear, to bring joy, hope and renew energy in people’s lives. To not only my friend, who needs to renew his energy for everyone who walks in his door, so he can provide the same good quality care to everyone, but also to all individuals who visit his office.
The Technical
I remember, as always, I was sketching on the subway, letting my mind run free when I first sketched this picture…I knew there was something unique about it. The moment I sketched it, it’s title came to me. I knew that I would have to paint it, it was a must!
The funny thing is, for the second time ever, I don’t want to tell you exactly what the painting truly means because I believe that the title gives away a fair bit about the true subject. When looking at it, just know that love is ever present, we can find it in the simplest of life’s joys, even when all is wrong in this world.
The other day I had a thought of what it would be like for this painting to be hung in a private space, and you know, it saddened me. May this painting always remain in a public space, and may it remind people that joy and love is all around us, we just have to remember to pay attention and notice it all around us. : )
Koray (Core-EYE) Salih
P.S. Might I add, I am really happy about how the face turned out.
P.P.S. To fully appreciate the colors of this painting, you would have to see it in person!
