The Lucky Old Sun 

Logan Maxwell Hagege made this painting, The Lucky Old Sun, relatively recently, using oil paint on canvas. The materials are traditional, but Hagege's technique gives the image a striking, stylized presence. The canvas itself provides a stable, textured surface for the oil paint, allowing for the build-up of layers that give depth and luminosity to the colors. Look closely at the smoothness of the figures and the landscape - Hagege clearly devoted time and care to layering the paint to achieve this effect. This isn't photorealism; the painting has an almost illustrative quality, like something out of a graphic novel. What really stands out is the way that Hagege uses shadow, and also the geometric patterns on the blanket worn by the central figure. These design elements bring the painting closer to the realm of craft, showing that even in painting, the principles of design and making are always at play.