I Luv my culture!

I view art as one of the creative avenues to speak or to connect with certain truths of the world.  the fact is that culture is in the world around us, its what identifies us as different individuals.  Without culture and diversity this world would not be as interesting as it is today.  As we study creation and the way nature is composed we have so much variety, this variety is what beautifies the world.  If we take time to look and study whats around us we cannot help but marvel at the brilliance of creation.  I decided to design these t-shirts as a celebration of culture.  Sometimes society wants us to all be the same or eludes to us through media that we should follow certain stereo types.  This type of thinking hampers so many peoples minds that without thinking twice they believe it to be true.  However variety is necessary and who ever you are where ever you come from you should be proud of who your culture!

    

The Alchemist

In celebration to one of the best books i have ever read i decided to paint this piece.  The idea i had was that of victory and jubilation when one finally comes in sight of his dream.  I used the sunrise and ocean to depict happiness as we all go through darkness and uncertainty before any success.  I believe that all of us have dreams and whatever dreams and aspirations we have in life we cannot give up on them.  We are all destined for great things but very few believe they can achieve what they want.  I love this piece because it serves as a reminder that you are not too far from your dreams.  Once again it boils down to LOVE, if you truly love what you do, you will realize that obstacles are only there to serve as a reminder that you are on the right track.     

Art Poetry

As i have embarked on this journey to follow my passion, i have considered the different approaches that artists have taken in their Aesthetic approach.  Normally when i paint i have an idea or a statement that i want to make.  Obviously i want the audience to get that message or have their own interpretation from what they see.  When i look at music for an example, the reason i believe music is so powerful is because words are mixed with sound to generate an emotional feel.  We can all relate or create visions within our minds from listening to a song.  Sometimes when you hear a song it takes you back to a time or period of your life.  I thought of starting this idea of combining words with a painting to create a even higher level of interpretation.  In doing so i hope the audience can relate to the message that i am giving.  Thank you all for your support sorry for the delay with the site but i assure you it will be up any moment now.  Look forward to bigger things in the future as we are also working with Hands of Change Zimbabwe to help Charity - (www.handsofchange.co.zw)   

The Crown

In a world thats dominated by men, i decided to paint this as a dedication to all the women out there.  Before i go into explaining the Aesthetics of the piece, i want to explain further my reason behind this Art work.  I think it takes a strong women to rise above others in society.  If you were thinking this piece is just dedicated to women in power then you are wrong.  This work is a celebration to all women out there.  Yes women are the crown of life because they do so much in the background but hardly get any recognition.  If we all look within ourselves we can see the special individual inside us.  All women should recognize that they are special and are capable of achieving greatness.

As for the piece i painted two pharaohs looking or starring into a victorious African woman.  Obviously from history we know how much power a pharaoh possessed.  I intentionally used them to illustrate that a woman was of even greater importance.  In African culture most woman don't get the recognition they deserve compared to the western world.  Her expression is that of jubilation and has set herself free by recognizing the power she possesses.  I hope you all enjoy this piece and check out our new site that will be up and running in a week www.culturalbased-art.com    

AFRIKA

In my quest to become more abstract and keep in touch with my roots this is what i came up with.  Afrika is a simplistic painting of some of the symbols you find on the continent.  I thought of making a strong impression using lines and patterns.  This to me is whats significant about any African art is the use of line and patterns.  I basically love to use strong color this shows my heritage and i feel color can spark an emotional response to your work if its used right.  I believe this is the beginning of a lot more abstracted work.

Display At Cafe Apollo

As Artists we have different goals and aspirations, but one of the things that brings joy to an Artist is looking at their work when its displayed and being pleased with it. When you paint or create art some times a close view might be deceiving. I am glad that when i looked at my work at Cafe Apollo the proportions and balance of my work was still intact. I am hoping this is the beginning of many other exhibitions in New Zealand. My Artwork will be in the Cafe for 6 weeks, of which after i have a few more exhibitions lined up.

Calabash

Another one of my Afro-Kiwi style of Art. "Calabash" portrays a Maori woman sitting next to an African Calabash. The Calabash becomes the focus because everything else including the patterns represent Maori culture. A Calabash is a common vessel used in many different cultures for various purposes. The Woman's attitude is that of reverence and grace. Woman are perhaps the strongest symbol of any culture. Whether African or Maori they have a special role and place in that culture. My objective was to bring different cultural elements together, in such a way that the subtlety makes the work unified as part of the whole Piece.