Chanisa Arthachinda

I am an educator who has always dreamed of painting and drawing for a
living. I have tried several mediums such as acrylic, gouache, and water
color, and almost gave up. Then one night I had a dream that a wise woman
came to me and pointed at my face while saying, "You are a Greek painter",
she described my works in a language I didn't understand. These words
sounded like - La Beau. I was aware at the time that this was all a dream, I
asked her what the subject of my artwork should be and what medium should I
use. She showed me uncountable portrait paintings in a se...

I am an educator who has always dreamed of painting and drawing for a
living. I have tried several mediums such as acrylic, gouache, and water
color, and almost gave up. Then one night I had a dream that a wise woman
came to me and pointed at my face while saying, "You are a Greek painter",
she described my works in a language I didn't understand. These words
sounded like - La Beau. I was aware at the time that this was all a dream, I
asked her what the subject of my artwork should be and what medium should I
use. She showed me uncountable portrait paintings in a sepia medium. I
looked at them, and perceived them to be my own, even though in reality
didn't know how to paint. As she put this muddy sepia medium in my palm, I
could feel its stickiness and consistency. Along with this sticky medium
followed a strange looking paintbrush, that I was not familiar with at all.

The following morning, as I was working in my home office, I spilled some
espresso on my desk and did not notice nor clean it up right away. Later
that day, upon leaning onto my desk I accidentally dipped my hand into what
was now a dried up puddle of espresso, I had a flashback of my dream and the
sepia medium I had felt. The espresso had dried into an oily consistency
identical to what I felt in my dream. In a burst, I rushed to my espresso
machine and brewed some espresso that was so thick and of the same
consistency that I had dreamed, I even went further to also grab a paint
brush and cut it into the odd shape that I had seen the night before. Since
then, I have been painting with my "dream medium". My first piece was "The
Wise Woman"- the same woman who appeared to me in my dreams that night. Over
one night's sleep, I had transformed into an espresso artist. I continue to
paint on a daily basis and have expanded my skills into other mediums such
as graphite and prisma. My main subject of interest and passion is the face
of all ages, races and genders. Everyone on the surface of this earth is the
source of my passion and each and everyone's beauty inspires me! Read more
about me at: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/may/07/grinding_it_out/