Kinyozi art

Kinyozi art or barber shop art, has close links with matatu art.Entrepreneurs decorate and paint their shops with bright colours to attract customers.
At the barber shop, guys meet and talk about current affairs and other issues.
The art work above was done by Nozi and Aro (some of my neighbourhood artist friends.)
They can do signs and decorate Salons also.

Modern & Classic

Nairobi is a 'modern and classic' city in the sense that old and new buildings stand side by side.
A visitor can witness this by going for a walk along Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Avenue.
Classic buildings usually have the year of completion written at the entrance or near the roofs.
This date back to the colonial times.
Modern buildings on the other hand have a simple,Cubist style of architecture.
Now,comparing this facts with my work I can refer to Monet as a classic artist and Piet as a modern artist.
Neo-Plasticism can be viewed as a reincarnation of Impressionism.
Monet used brilliant colours (primary colours)in his work while Piet used primary colours with a bit of black & white.
So combining this with African colours I got the following pieces.

Early post/ Market day

If one decides to compare market scenes of the developed countries with those of developing countries,you will notice the huge difference.

African soldiers

In art history, we often hear of the French Zouaves but not the British Kings African Rifles(KAR).
Creativity is entangled with warfare during the WW1 and WW2 periods.
Apart from North Africans,East Africans also participated in the world wars.Most of the KARs were Africans and they were killed in large numbers since they were usually placed at the front line.
The epitaph under this monument is written in English, Arabic and Swahili.The writings on it show how in contempt Africans were looked upon.
By referring to people as "Arms and Legs" is not right.It's a great wonder that no one has ever complained about this issue and yet we have "intellectual" world war historians around.
Notable servicemen included Hussein Onyango Obama (the US Presidents' paternal grandfather) and "General China" who later became a freedom fighter.

The Rooftops

Many people fail to understand the environmental aspect of this photograph.
Yes we can have beautiful trees growing in the city but that doesn't prevent acid rain from destroying the roofs---?

Photo translation-2

With a single photograph one can do many things such as playing with time and colours.

Casual mania

Street fashion is a huge hit in urban areas.There are no age limits or status issues.
Anytime of the day it's all good.Whether outdoors or indoors.

Narrow passage

The original Bohemians maybe had their own way of tackling life issues.
What the early painters/artists went through in their lives is somewhat different from our current generation.
Nowadays, tragedies occur almost on a daily basis.Many of these "creative ones" leave unmentioned.
Few cases (such as the one above), get Press coverage.
It's indeed a harsh reality being a street artist.
Many guys run the risk of being arrested or even imprisonment.Others get caught up in drug problems.
Maybe all this will change one day..........

mashahiri

Throughout East and Equatorial Africa, poetry is or has become an avenue for expressing feelings, dreams,hopes and fears.
Poetry occupies a special place in everyday life.
Poets memorize and recite poems that reflect the wisdom of their people and their daily experiences.
A skilled poet can talk for several hours without tiring............
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Today's poems have become lyrics to rap songs.Rappers and their music have evolved from traditional storytellers/griots to international celebrities.
What body painting was has now become body tattooing.The Kingship gold chains and bracelets, have now become blings and ice.
The "Call and Response" in the village has taken over the concert stages and memories are now preserved in CDs.

"Blogging reality"

"Rather than love,than money,than fame,give me truth."
-Henry David Thoreau

Bloggers are said to be the community journalists and voice of the voiceless...........
Personally I view blogging as a celebration of diversity,human life and day to day experience.
Before immersing myself in the blogging world, life around me was just "life"- just living and passing time.
My way of thinking,viewing and judging of issues that were happening around me gradually started to change overtime.
Through blogging i.e. expressing myself and meeting other people on line really added something I never knew I had.
I began seeing the beauty in my surroundings and began appreciating myself more.
Due to this "blogging effect",I've talked to fellow street artists and friends to post their stuff on the net.
Some don't see the importance or the value.Others just have difficulty accessing the Internet and some it's like gibberish......

Just flying over >>.>

A sunny day....the sound of vehicles moving and a height above the rest ---,is what the camera showed me.

Nairobi stone

The above milliary stone is located along Kenyatta avenue near the GPO.It's one of a kind.Maybe that's the reason it's fenced around.The design itself is unique.

Early post/ stocks $ hues

The recession that is affecting all corners of the globe made me remember one of my early paintings.As an alternative- stocks can be traded like an auction house.
I found the NYSE photo in some old magazine that was thrown in a dump around town.

Tribute to MJ

Dancing shoes

Guys received the news with disbelief and shock.In short,Mj inspired everyone in the world.I've been hearing his songs from nursery school to the present days.
People got impressed by his fine dance moves and passionate singing.As an artist and a fan I had to react to the sad news.
Maybe his demise will unleash a new art movement like Obamaism.It might be MJism or the popular Wacko Jacko.Who knows? ^^^

My Drawings 6

The little shops found in the countryside are designed in such a way that everyone sees whats happening around.No jostling or littering.
Some of them were built during the colonial era and are still intact.

Monday morning

Blue street,Acrylics on paper,16cm x 10cm.

Everyone hates waking up early in the morning especially on Mondays.The day is usually characterized by chilly and dull emotions.There are few people and less sunshine.
Maybe a monochrome might explore this phenomenon.

Overhead mural

The above mural was done by my neighbourhood artist friend called Robert.I wanted to take his photograph but he declined.
Many street artists are camera shy I don't know why.Apart from this,he has also painted barber shops and does a bit of illustration.
He's also a good painter but the realist type.The mural is located around my home town.

Rare gift

Barack ni Baraka,Coloured pencil and pen on paper,20cm x 10cm.

Everyone in Africa and particularly Kenya loves Mr.President.Many artists of all levels have either done a piece or staged something concerning the US president.
Some have done graffitis, others have stuck his photos on vehicle bodies and others like me have done art pieces in the form of paintings,collages and animations.
The title of this artwork when translated to English reads Barack is a Blessing.It's based on a passport photo I had seen in the newspapers when he was campaigning with McCain.

@ the streets-Tour 5

I believe that a street is not complete without telephone and electric cables hanging around.Street lights are also a necessity.

Early post/ Earthy street

At my friends' house there are many magazines.This street photo caught me.Maybe the foreign architecture caused a reaction somewhere.

My Drawings 5

I remember my short trip upcountry.The little townships and shopping centres.When compared to those of the city and their congestion,it's like the total opposite.

Country Bus Terminus

The bus terminus is a nice place to get artistic ideas since it's full of different forms and colours.Sometimes I ask myself why many artists focus too much on painting market scenes and Maasai herdsmen.
Why can't they just go out and see the various subjects available...?

Experiment on Opticals

Scientists like Henri Poincare,began to consider the way mathematics relates to art in 1906 (Value of Science).
It's also important to observe that most optical paintings have similar qualities to music.Therefore Optical art can be described as "visual music" as it communicates by means of visual tunes as it is in music.

Academic visions

I snapped this school gate as a reminder of my "educational days".The academy is located around my home area.I don't know the sign-writer who did it but he did some fine work.
Viewing this from another perspective is like a new form of art but it's quite common here. People have realized that in order to make schools appealing they have to use a bit of art.

More of the basics

Looking back where I came from is kind of moving.All those sketches,bright stickers and colour schemes I did of matatus no longer mean a thing.Life is like a pendulum-always moving back and forth.

Just flying over>.>>

A view from a flyover can be astonishing especially if one is afraid of heights.At the same time it boosts ones creative senses.

Experiment on Opticals

Opticals have many applications in our day to day lives.They are used in fashion(fabric) design,poster design,wall paper design and album covers.
Here in Africa there are used to decorate umbrellas,paper bags and household clothes.

The forgotten monument

I "discovered" this historical monument at the intersection of Kenyatta Avenue and Wabera Street.
On the epitaph it is inscribed:
1914 -1918
1939 -1945
TO OUR GLORIOUS DEAD
with a Cross in the middle.
It's design and shape is almost similar to the Washington monument(DC).Except that this one is small in size.

My Drawings 4

A stroll and another stroll......fills my work with sights.Till I collapse ^^^^

Experiment on Opticals

Optical art or 'Op art' is a form of art that is meant to create visual illusion or "visual irritation".The effect is best felt when using two highly contrasting colours.
I got the idea above from flag posts.

Urban Pastoralists

When there is no rain both people and animals feel the pinch.Herdsmen come from far away places in search of pasture.Cows and goats are seen in estates and on road sides.

Evening hours

Accra Road,Acrylics on paper,45cm x 32cm.

The evening hours can be full of activity with people closing their shops and businesses to arrive home early.People tend to rush and move in order to avoid the traffic jams.
The evening Sun can also be a good artistic inspiration.With the orange,red and yellow reflecting on the building walls.

@ the streets-Tour 4

I've come to realize that streets are not the same.Some are short,like this one,some are long enough to invent a bus route and others too clean to believe...

Cars and Apparel

I know some garages which give their staff clothes.Some of these are in the form of T-shirts,boots,caps and overalls.All these items are branded with the garage's name and affiliate companies.
Maybe this is a new deviation from the usual fashion industry approach.Soon we shall be hearing of "garage catwalks" and "engine photo shoots."

Photo sketching

Sometimes in life you have to experiment.Check out the 'pros' and 'cons'.Here I wanted to check out how far I can take photography.Like a competition between man and machine.

The Flag Code(Continuation)

Other cool flags in the continent:
Botswana
Chad
Ivory Coast
Gabon
Gambia
Mauritius
Nigeria
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Years of independence in East and Equatorial Africa:
1956 :Sudan
1960 :Somalia
Zaire
Gabon
Congo
Chad
Central African Republic
1961 :Tanzania
Cameroon
1962 :Uganda
Rwanda
Burundi
1963 :Kenya
1968 :Equatorial Guinea
1975 :Sao Tome and Principe
Angola
1976 :Seychelles
1977 :Djibouti

Ethiopia was never a colony.
I've also found some peculiar similarities in flags.These particularly,are in colours.Take for example:
The Liberian flag is similar to that of the US,the only difference being the star.It has one star while the US many stars.The Madagascan flag has similar colours with the Niger flag but different design.The Ivorian flag has similar colours with the Irish flag,the Seychelles flag with the Italian and the Ugandan with the Belgian flag.
Some architectural firms prefer designing buildings according to flags,others paint their exterior with national colours.While others landscape their gardens according to flags.
Humans prefer marking their territories and sending messages with flags while others prefer marking large signs on open flat areas.

Pop Art in Kenya

Pop art or Popular art has a big influence in Kenya and in Africa in general.The public, ignorantly don't know it.It is evident everywhere one goes.From the free internet downloads,flamboyant political rallies,matatu culture,the neighborhood signboards to the roadside billboards.
Graffiti artists who are more into socialist realism are slowly exploring the commercial aspect of this genre.On the other hand,Pop culture has gained momentum on the digital level.We now hear of popular websites,blogs,software and other hi-tech gizmos.

@ the streets-Tour 3

Nairobi is known both locally and internationally as the "City in the Sun".In this photograph,one almost feels the heat and the brightness experienced during the day.

My Drawings-3

Many people say that great cities were not built in one day.But for the vast and unlimited artistic license,this is just empty talk.

The Flag Code

In the Bible we often read about Father Abraham and his many descendants but we don't get to realize this in reality.So, going for a walk along the busy Biashara Street I happened to get a glimpse of some beautiful flags ranging from different sizes to different designs.
Some were in sticker form,others as badges and some in banner style.Flags have also slowly evolved from the patriotic approach to a trendy and social statement in the form of fashion,marketing and vehicle aesthetics.
I know some guys who have included them as part of interior design.Anyway,for every flag there is a conviction or symbolism behind it,One that unites a specific country or a group of people.
Now checking at the various flags we have in the African continent,one is amazed with the variety.
To simplify the process it's better to group them according to the items and colours placed on them:

Cultural Heritage of country:
Kenya
Lesotho
Swaziland
Celestial bodies:
Somalia
Togo
Zimbabwe
Tunisia
Morocco
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Comoros
Congo
Djibouti
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Malawi
Mauritania
Mozambique
Niger
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Birds:
Egypt
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Tools:
Angola
Congo
Zaire
Pan African colours:
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Ethiopia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Mali
Mozambique
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sudan
Togo
Zaire
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Badges:
Egypt
Cape Verde
Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Most unique countries in alphabet:
Djibouti
Kenya
Principe island
Rwanda
Most unique flags:
Libya
Rwanda
Others:
Tanzania,Namibia,Madagascar and South Africa.

@ the streets -Tour 2

Down the ever busy city streets will always leave the pedestrian in a state of activity.With vehicles moving and hooting all over the place,its easy to get stressed.

Fantastica

City of dreams,Acrylics on paper,45cm x 32cm.

Has anyone been to a place that left a polychromatic mark on the eyes? Even the early Impressionists could not crack the riddle.....; How many colors are there in the outside world? Are they seen by the average eyes? Do we as people realize this?

My Drawings-2

When one decides to take an architectural tour around the country and city,one usually finds unmentioned gems such as this one.Its on the junction between Moi Avenue and River rd.