James Nyika

Le Bistrot Vivienne, Original Painting

2024

Artist Comments
A romantic scene unfolds outside the Le News Café in Paris. A waiter serves a couple against the backdrop of the bustling city. Artist James Nyika's skillful...

Artist Comments
In his distinct style of impressionism, artist Onelio Marrero displays a man in a suit reading the news as he sits by an empty dining hall. He bases the piece on sketches of a Back Bay, Boston restaurant named Bistro du Midi. He creates a narrative of an imaginary proprietor perusing a newspaper before the establishment opens and the clients fill the place. Onelio gives the viewer a sense of the décor and light streaming through the windows - beyond it, a hint of the Boston Public Garden.

About the Artist
Artist Onelio Marrero paints impressionist city scenes of everyday life. He captures the romanticism of New York City, from the picturesque fountains in Central Park to a glistening city street on a rainy afternoon. He creates a sense of nostalgia and intimacy with his work, offering the feeling that you have visited this particular scene before. “Each play of light, each texture, and each movement of a figure can have a captivating effect on me,” says Onelio. He studied at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where he mastered discerning color and values, giving his work a more spontaneous appearance. Onelio’s work is an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.

Words that describe this painting: restaurant, newspaper, bistro, cafe, table, Boston, Public Garden, Boston Common...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika captures the inviting interior of the popular Java House café in Nairobi, Kenya. With an impressionist touch, he highlights the warm and w...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika paints a glimpse of the Bar du Central facade bustling with patrons. He captures the famous cafe in full sunlight in the heart of Paris. "I love the cafes and bars. They are a critical part of the identity of the city," says James. He draws inspiration from these iconic locales after visiting many through the years and develops them as an integral part of his repertoire.

About the Artist
Artist James Nyika paints the glowing atmosphere of cities across the world. As a child growing up in Kenya, he found art materials at the student bookshop and also borrowed just about every art history volume from the British Council library in Nairobi. "I checked out the same books over and over just to stare at the art, to try and understand how it was created," says James. With family encouragement to study engineering, James moved to the U.S. and immersed himself in science studies at Boston University. Several years after embarking on a tech career, he set a goal to create at least one painting a week, never throwing away any works and learning as much as possible in his off hours. Today, James still balances his full-time career designing large software systems with his prolific output as a painter. "Painting is a great antidote to the regularity of a computing profession and I really value it for the uncertainty that it brings - something frowned upon when writing code."

Words that describe this painting: Paris, bar, cafe, Bar du Central, tables, restaurant, dining, facade, sunlight, awning, arch, architecture, paper, watercolor, travel, Europe...