The sun has set, and you prepare to paint. It is in those hours around midnight when the world finally slows down. No more rushing, no more distractions: an end to the overwhelming stimulation of the day.

At midnight, when the sun has disappeared, the world grows quiet. The constant influx of noise slowly fades away: no more emails, messages, household tasks, or background chatter competing for your attention. Freed from appointments and deadlines, your mind is finally allowed to breathe. Time to actually feel.

The world narrows: now it is just you, your canvas, and your innermost thoughts. Alone with your fears, desires, hopes, and dreams, there is only one thing left to do: capture them all on the canvas. Nothing else truly matters. Everything else can wait until after dawn. In the pandemonium of modern daily routine, this is the ultimate contemporary fantasy.

This portfolio is the result of many digital painting and drawing sessions. Some pieces form a story together, while others stand on their own. All are inspired by the wide range of stories from ancient classical myths, science fiction, and modern fantasy that have fueled my imagination for decades.

At it’s heart it is a celebration of those precious moments of meditative, creative escape. It is dedicated to everyone trying to navigate modern adult existence, and to all the midnight painting sessions that keep us going.

Midnight Painting Sessions is written and drawn by Joost Leuven. By pressing on the individual pages, you can view them up close.