My oil painting is inspired by Pino Daeni, an Italian-American artist known for soft romantic realism and expressive book cover paintings. Pino used warm light, gentle brushwork, and emotional subject matter to show themes of love, memory, and nostalgia. I chose to study his work because of his ability to communicate emotion through atmosphere and composition.

For this work, I created a front and back book cover inspired by The Notebook. The front cover shows the boat scene, symbolising reconnection, truth, and emotional renewal. The back cover features a quote from the story, representing the lasting message of love and memory. By replacing the usual imagery with text, I wanted to focus on how words alone can evoke strong emotions, just like Pino’s use of light and colour does in his paintings. The quote also ties the visual narrative together, giving the viewer a reflective ending.

I used oil paint to layer colour softly, blend edges smoothly, and create a nostalgic atmosphere similar to Pino’s technique. My process included studying Pino’s brushwork, practicing colour mixing, doing sketches, and testing glazing techniques for softness and depth. This artwork combines research into Pino Daeni’s romantic realism with my own idea of storytelling through symbolic imagery instead of figures.