I have been using old photographs as inspiration for my paintings for a while now, to evoke a sense of nostalgia in them. But recently, instead of just painting these photos and capturing the nuances found in photographs, I have wanted to take it further. For this painting specifically, it was inspired by older photographs of my parents. I used these photos specifically because they remind me of a time I am nostalgic for, when life was kinder to my family. These photos were then put together with references of the view next to the Duomo in Cortona, Italy, where I studied abroad.

My reasoning for making this painting is because it has always been a dream of mine to study abroad, especially in Italy, because of how tied part of my family is to the country. My parents have always wanted to travel there as well, but unfortunately it has not been in the cards for them yet. Because of this, I had been thinking about them quite a lot during the trip, wishing things were different. This feeling motivated me to do something to express how I felt about these circumstances. I am so grateful and proud that I was able to support myself in getting to have this experience, but wish that I could support my family being able to experience this as well. 

In short, I have always dreamed of seeing views like this one, but also have dreamed of seeing them with my parents, too. So this painting is dedicated to that dream, in hopes one day that this scene can become reality.