Difficult questions must be asked. They may not always fetch an answer. Yet, it’s our responsibility to ask those questions.

Why art?

This is a question that all artists must ask themselves. Why must we draw, sketch and paint? Is it to express ourselves or to impress others? Should (contemporary) art be a mirror that we hold to ourselves, or to the society? Should art exist to decorate the walls of our houses, or to become a statement of the times?

Why art?

I think that most of us struggle to answer this question. The answer probably lies in what you are willing to give to save your dream of becoming an artist. Those who don’t have money, must earn it so that they might spend it on their dream. Those who don’t have time, must make it by sacrificing something else, so that they can draw or paint or sculpt or do what they were born to do.

When I painted “Shield,” I was thinking of what we must do to save all that’s worth saving. During the process of painting, my mind saw the perpetual struggle of men and women who must take the blows to save their dreams.

It’s only when we become shields that art happens.