Taking a few long, slow draws of his cigarette and slowly blowing the smoke out of his mouth and nose, our driver Akil in Jordan, would smoke as if he was blowing his worries away into thin air. His most common habit during his breaks would be to hide himself and smoke. It looked like cigarettes were his escape, a safety blanket that gave him the feeling of warmth and delight. Akil was tense when I sketched him live. I told him to sit candidly in his natural state. I used bold, symphonic colors of impressionism for this painting. I painted him in full view with natural light and the rare rum desert in the background. This painting was juried into 2021 the 5th Annual AIS small Works Showcase (Reinert Fine Art, Charleston, South Carolina).
Taking a few long, slow draws of his cigarette and slowly blowing the smoke out of his mouth and nose, our driver Akil in Jordan, would smoke as if he was blowing his worries away into thin air. His most common habit during his breaks would be to hide himself and smoke. It looked like cigarettes were his escape, a safety blanket that gave him the feeling of warmth and delight. Akil was tense when I sketched him live. I told him to sit candidly in his natural state. I used bold, symphonic colors of impressionism for this painting. I painted him in full view with natural light and the rare rum desert in the background. This painting was juried into 2021 the 5th Annual AIS small Works Showcase (Reinert Fine Art, Charleston, South Carolina).