Joe Giuffrida

San Francisco, Original Painting

2022

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar presents an old barn on top of a sloping road in rural California. As a plein air painter, she sometimes ventures out in less-than-ideal weather conditions. "The day was cold and foggy, but this made for beautiful, nuanced colors and muted tones delightfully rendered in watercolor," shares Catherine. She draws inspiration from the Swedish painter Carl...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika paints a glimpse of a busy cityscape during the sunset. He captures a sense of stillness and tranquility in spite of the traffic and commotion. "I was leaving a restaurant in Washington when I saw this unbelievable light, and I ran out like a madman into the middle of the street to capture the reference," says James. He executes the piece shortly after taking the picture, with the effect fully in his mind.

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...

Artist Comments
Artist Siyuan Ma displays an impression of the Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province. It holds significant scientific value for ancient Chinese architectur...

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...