Throughout history, painting has been a popular medium for artists to depict the world around them, and it continues to be a medium of choice for artists today. We marvel at paintings of lush landscapes, and we admire the realistic details painted on the face of a portrait, which makes us wonder how the artist can create such a masterpiece with simple paint, a few brushes, and a blank canvas.
This issue’s featured artists are Adilene Rodriguez and Alex Townsend: two artists who have shared some of their paintings for others to admire, from an emotional scene of two people to an artistic interpretation of a local landscape. While these two artists have chose to show off their paintings, they also experiment with other media as well.

The first piece that will be explored is Train to Busan. This oil painting is inspired by a scene from a movie and is the work of Adilene Rodriguez, a senior of the NMAT program.
“Train To Busan was South Korea’s first zombie-apocalypse movie, and the elements of love and sacrifice were heavy in its success,” said Rodriguez. “If you’ve seen Train to Busan, you know that this is one of the many vital moments of the movie where Seok-Woo’s character changes from a cold-hearted businessman to a man with compassion, strength to keep going, and the will/want to help others. He talks to his daughter, telling her that no matter what, he will take her to her mom because it’s her birthday. And in return, she asks him if he’s scared. I used oil paint to capture this scene because of its importance to the plot and the last few moments of comfort they face.”

Finally, Alex Townsend, another senior of the NMAT program, contributes his Plein Air #12 painting that he created as a final assignment for his summer painting class.
“This 18×24 inch painting was painted over the course of 2 weeks on a bridge in Tipton Park, said Townsend. “The creek takes you into the background where there is a small, wooded area, a boy scout cabin, and a cemetery in the far background.”
Painting has been a favorite choice of artists over the years, and it continues to be today. When given a blank canvas, an artist can paint the world as he or she sees it, which gives viewers a chance to see the world in a new and creative light. Art can inspire all of us to go out and paint the world in vibrant colors, while giving other people an opportunity to see a unique perspective of the world we live in.