We often talk about artists of the past, let’s talk about living artists instead. One name that immediately comes to mind is Nicola Samorì, an Italian contemporary painter. He works with oil in a way that feels almost sculptural: his paintings aren’t flat surfaces. He scratches, peels, and wounds the paint itself, turning the canvas into a physical object. I don’t fully understand how he achieves those effects, and that mystery is part of what makes his work so compelling. His aesthetic is dark, cruel, and romantic at the same time, beauty and violence coexist in the same gesture. One of my favorite works of his is Atlante. Another aspect I deeply admire is his distance from social media. He has no interest in online self-promotion, no Instagram, no Facebook. He seems completely devoted to living quietly, surrounded by nature, painting and exhibiting with almost monastic focus. There’s something powerful about an artist whose presence exists primarily through the work itself. Who are the living artists you admire right now? I want names, introduce me to someone new.

Can you find one person you can send love to today? There’s an experience I remember as if it happened yesterday. It goes back 30 yrs. When I was on a 10-hr flight. After I sat down on my seat, a family boarded right in front of me. It was quite obvious that the mother didn’t have it all together. She looked shabby and right away plumped herself not only on her seat, but she lay down flat on her daughter’s seat as well and closed her eyes.. My heart went out for this teenage girl. I asked myself “is there a way that I can make a difference in this young teen’s life?” I ended up keeping her company almost the entire 10 hours of the flight, paying attention to her and just being warm. I remember thinking to myself “I might never see this girl again, however, who knows how my small act of kindness will impact this poor girl. This is my challenge to you today Find one act of kindness that you can do with no strings attached Happy Valentine’s Day!