Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life. — Picasso.
In the chaos, confusions, and noise of the modern world, it can be difficult for us to find and delight in beauty. Too often our eye for it is clouded by the ‘dust of everyday life’ that settles over us: We get caught up in our jobs, in our various commitments and to-do lists; we get weighted down by our own worries, and are constantly hearing more bad news from the countless forms of media that surround us. Increasingly, we find ourselves forced to give less time and value to art, and we do not allow ourselves the time to wash in, or appreciate, works of art or to contemplate beauty.
Yet, in art we are given reminders of what our world still is and glimpses of what it could be: meaningful, colourful, inspirational, beautiful. Art frees us.
I grew up in Jounieh, Lebanon, a relaxed city nestled between the sea and the mountains. Lebanon is a beautiful country that brought out the artist in me; I was surrounded by inspiration. The warm beaches, the sun beating down on the ocean, a whirlwind of colours and smells on the streets…I could see beauty everywhere, and I wanted to do my part to share it. I started painting and exploring various forms of art, and found my passion.
In 1992, I left Lebanon for Canada, fleeing the civil unrest that my country had been thrown into. Through the horrors, the ‘dust of everyday life’ took on a very literal meaning as shells dropped, crumbling buildings into dust. There was intolerance towards the artist, towards people like me who wished to create and not destroy, and so I moved to Toronto, where I created Warm Colours.
Why Warm Colours? Throughout my personal journey, what became clear to me was my desire to create and share art: I want to encourage others to explore art, to encounter those pieces of beauty that delight and free them.
Warm Colours is not just a website but a community. It is not just for the artist, but also for the audience – for those who enjoy going to shows, looking at various pieces of art. On our site, you will find various categories devoted to different types of art, from oil painting to photography to sculpture, and more. Here you will find images, articles, reviews, comments, suggestions and further links to check out. We will also post about various events and exhibits happening in the Toronto area.
But we don’t want to be the only ones talking! Warm Colours extends an open invitation to you, the reader, the art lover, to share what you find beautiful. You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy art, or to have an opinion, or to share things you like with others. At Warm Colours, you can participate in the creative process by sharing – perhaps introducing others to an artist they have never heard before, to a show they end up loving, to a piece of work that moves them.
Warm Colours aims to be that space where we can shed the dust of everyday life together, a space where we can be rejuvenated by the power of art.
