Mambalicious - July 2020

“Every day, I live a lie
But not the crocodile kind.”

— Megan McCafferty

Mambalicious. Acrylic Painting on 24”x 36” Canvas. Completed July 2020

My paternal grandfather was known as King’ang’i, Kamba (my mother tongue) for Crocodile. He had a way of getting things done and owned a prominent arts and crafts store at the City Market, located in Nairobi, Kenya. Walking up to his store, you were welcomed by large unique hand made Mahogany & Ebony carvings. This painting takes me back to my pre-teen days when I visited the store, and he’d buy me lunch, a comic book or car magazine from a street vendor who set up daily at the market entrance.

This painting took patience and time but the outcome speaks for itself. The facemask that I wear on a daily basis is based on this painting. My cover pages on social media are of this image. Soon, this painting will be on a t-shirt.

Mambalicious Mask at Common House.

You may also recall from “My Creative Journey” blog that this was named Mambalicious by my niece Laura.

I think my late grandfather would approve. My hope is that one day, I’ll find a good carver who can turn this into a life-size carving.

Golden Baobab - May 2020

“Art takes nature as its model.”

— Aristotle

Golden Baobab. 24”x 36” Canvas. Completed May 2020

In my humble opinion, this painting turned out way better than I anticipated because one thing that worried me during sketching was how to show height of these majestic African trees. Growing up, whenever we drove to the Kenyan Coast, you’d see these magnificent, old and gorgeous trees all over. They are fascinating to see and I knew once the thought came to mind, that it had to be a great painting. I love it.

What song comes to mind when I look at this painting? Mighty Joshua’s “Clean Hands.” This song is simple and shares a positive message with a cool reggae beat.

Joshua is a friend who’s doing work to empower people in his community in Richmond, VA as well as the children of the Makindu Children’s Program in Kenya. Guess what type of trees you’ll find in and around Makindu? Yep… Baobabs’.

Magnificent Zebra - April 2020

“There’s no limit to how much you’ll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go.”

— Dr. Seuss

Magnificent Zebra. Acrylic Painting on a 24”x 36” Canvas. Completed April 2020

This is by far most of my friends’ favorite painting. It’s very cool in so many ways. The paint mix making up for white stripes was a mix I gambled with and had just enough to complete the entire painting. Did you notice the birdie on the Zebra? Nature is beautiful and this Zebra is magnificent. This painting also has the most offers on the table and is reserved.

What song comes to mind? Hmm…

The Salmon Dance by the Chemical Brothers. (Fish Pay Attention to the Moon)

I feel like this Zebra could walk out of the canvas, start a conversation with you and probably teach you how to dance.

Elephants Birdie - March 2020

““Everything you can imagine is real.” ”

— Pablo Picasso

Elephants Birdie. Completed March 2020. Painting on 24”x 36” Canvas

This painting was fun. The blue background stood for a few weeks and most people thought it was the actual painting. Makes me think that simpler background-like paintings will be something on future canvases. The birds are in and around the elephant symbolizing the presence on the ground and the sky. Love this painting.

What song comes to mind when I think look at this painting? Benny Benassi’s, “Come Fly With Me.”

“I’m glidin’ in the beautiful sky,
It’s such a clear day.
Go ridin’ in,
Your sweet lullabies,
Come fly away.”

— https://www.lyricfind.com/

Origin - February 2020

“Creativity is not a competition.”

— Autumn Sky Hall

Origin. Acrylic Painting on 36”x 48” Canvas. Completed February 2020

Origin is one of my personal favorites. My neighbor Dona C. Mann and I decided to exchange original works, and this was my contribution to their collection of art. I therefore asked Donna to write a few lines of her thoughts on the painting. See her thoughts below:

“Having taught English, literacture and social studies most of my thirty years, I felt most engaging when focusing on the origins of civilization.

The stories of the Fertile Crescent and African Villages fascinated me then as they do even more so today. IN order to model my teacher/student creed, “I’ll never ask you to do anything I would not do,” I conducted my own action research research project on elephants.

My love for them and intrigue with their societal behaviors instilled a great respect after that experience. Imagine how exciting I was to move next door to an amazing family who sponsor elephants in their native Kenya.

When Zikki presented the surprise painting to me, my first reaction was, “Origin of the Species.” His simple reply? “I named this work Origin.”

Whenever I look at this piece of art, I am blessed that we share such an amazing connection with the country of Kenya and the ever evolving African Continent.”

— Dona C. Mann

When I asked Dona, what song comes to mind when you look at the painting, she said, “Circle of Life.”

“In the circle of life
It’s the wheel of fortune
It’s the leap of faith
It’s the band of hope
’Til we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, the circle of life”

— Circle of Life

Thank you Donna.

Empowered - January 2020

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on”

— Albert Einstein

Empowered. Completed January 2020. Acrylic Paint on 36”x 48” Canvas

Empowered is my first canvas and it sit right behind my office desk. The painting is a conversation starter and it’s painted on a large 36'“x 48” canvas. The green is well known to pick up '‘Green Screen” virtual backgrounds on Zoom conference calls, a definite eye pleaser.

This painting took close to 3 weeks to complete because I knew what was in my head but depicting it well was my main concern. If you know me, then you know that the slim fitting jeans and Chukka Boots are part of my regular attire. So yes, it’s a mix between my style and a serious elephant pointing at you or another to stay empowered and empower others.

If this painting could be in a song, it would be a mix between “Positive Vibration,” Bob Marley with a Jimi Hendrix mash-up. Empowering lyrics from the song:

Say you just can't live that negative way
If you know what I mean
Make way for the positive day
'Cause it's news (new day) news and days
New time (new time), and if it's a new feelin' (new feelin'), yeah
Said it's a new sign (new sign)
Oh, what a new day

Hope this empowers you to do and be better.