We all remember playing on Microsoft Paint. The program was one of the earliest forms of digital expression, a graphics editor with a simple interface that anyone could use. Today people are more familiar with Photoshop, with all of its bells and whistles, but MS Paint had a certain charm.
It was difficult to create something visually spectacular in Microsoft Paint, due to how still you had to hold the mouse. Most of our squiggly drawings were probably closer to kindergarten's art than Rembrandt. That's why the work of 87-year-old grandmother Concha García Zaera is so impressive. She's using the primitive program to create masterpieces, painting beautiful idyllic landscapes.
In an interview with Radio Valencia, Concha revealed that she used to do oil painting. However, when her kids bought her a computer, she went digital. Now she uses Microsoft Paint, Windows 7 and a mouse to create colorful tranquil scenes.
"My husband fell ill and I had to take care of him, so I couldn’t go out very often," said Concha. "I began painting little things: first, a house, the next day I’d add a mountain… Step by step, I was adding details, and in the end, the result was a very pretty thing."
One of Concha's granddaughters recommended she show off her artwork on Instagram, so the octogenarian signed up for an account. After a tweet about her paintings went viral, she gained over 116,000 followers. It's easy to see why. The vivid colors are striking, and it's amazing to think that she did all this in MS Paint. Also, it's pretty awesome than an 87-year-old grandmother could achieve Internet stardom.
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Her paintings has gotten huge praise online. Here are a few of the comments:
"This is insanely hard to do with a mouse"
"I can barely write my own name properly, Concha's a LEGEND."
"Her painting of Santorini, Greece stole my heart."
"someone get this lady photoshop. would love to see what she could do in that"
"How gorgeous! I could never, ever do anything this lovely with a paintbrush or a colored pencil - but this is insane. What an immensely gifted lady."
"those are some serious skills. I can barely draw a stick figure on paint"
"Goes to show that you’re never too old to learn and chase your dreams."
But despite all that love, the Valencia-based artist remains humble "I do not understand very well why my drawings draw so much attention," said Concha. "I think they are very simple things." That may be true, but the simplicity is part of what makes the paintings so awe-inspiring. She clearly has a great eye for texture and color, as well as a remarkably steady hand on the mouse. I wonder what she could create if she got Photoshop.
In a related story, some people are furious with Jim Carrey over this painting of Sarah Huckabee Sanders...
