Humanitarian and artist Jan Raats travels the world collecting and sharing stories of people from Afghanistan, Botswana, Italy, and France, to name a few. His paintings are an emotional, color-filled response to the environments and individuals he meets.
Got a few minutes? Then scroll down and take a journey of ten thousand miles (or more!) by exploring just a few of his paintings below:
Green Kanga gives us a glimpse of the vibrant colors, sounds, and activities taking place in a bustling open-air fish market in Tanzania.
Jan’s main subject is the woman wearing the bright green and yellow kanga, a traditional printed cotton wrap worn by woman in that region.
In France, Jan captured the old city of Viviers, with it’s pale walls rising up out of verdant fields. He titled this painting, Walled City.
I love the way the town is nestled into the hills, surrounded by dark green trees and (just out of sight) the Rhône river, rushing towards the Mediterranean.
Last but not least, Venice Dreams shows the magnificent domes of St. Peter’s Basilica in Venice, casting shimmering golden reflections in the waters below.
The dark, curving shape of the gondola and its gondolier creates a lovely foreground focal point to balance out the building floating mid-canvas.
To see more of Jan Raats’ paintings from all around the world, please take a minute to visit his website and blog at janraats.com.
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