
Not the first time my sister, Michaela, has shown up in Nalena’s paintings but this one caught my eye when I realized it was based on a photo I took last summer (below).

Nalena Kumar is in her final year at Cal Arts and you can visit her blog here, to view more of her work.
What struck me the most about this painting other than it being awesome, is that as a young artist, you can pull inspiration from many places. Until today I had only posted the photo on Facebook, and five years ago, Nalena would never have seen it.
Today there is an ease at which you can access inspirations; sending out your creative tendrils via the internet and snatching at bits and pieces of things that move you.
I can’t help but think of it as an extension of the human brain, that via the internet, we’re forming one super-brain where we share the same thoughts.
Although, now that I’ve just said that, it reminds me of this really persuasive essay I just read in the February Harper’s that completely contradicts what I just said. Sooooo maybe I need to rethink that position….
Tags: Cal Arts, Lake Tahoe, Nalena Kumar, Nathan Cordova, painting