This painting was inspired by the numerous Chinese period dramas I have watched in my life. I suppose I am drawn to period dramas because the clothes are beautiful and the lifestyle is relatively simple compared to our modern lives (full of technology and annoying forms to fill out at the bank. I may or may not be referring to something I have had to deal with on multiple occasions). People in the past simply lived in such a different world. Although there are many downsides to living a few hundred years ago, I find the ways of the past fascinating! Perhaps it is because of how much more in tune people were with the natural world around them. They had fewer things to distract them from the real world.

Those who are familiar with my art will know that I tend to gravitate towards subjects involving nature. In this piece, I painted a boy cradling a sloth. The boy’s dressing indicates that he is of humble roots. A small fishing village perhaps. For me, this unassuming combination of an animal and a boy perched on a branch symbolizes simplicity and harmony with nature. Beautiful indeed.