Abstract African Art Painting: Family Unity

Last year one of my clients requested an art piece based on the theme of family. Unlike most of my art pieces this particular piece is an acrylic painting on paper. The client requested a painting in earth tones and did not mind a medium other than metal. Because of the sheen I usually get on metal paintings and my temptation to emboss every metal art piece I do, I decided to stick to paper. This is the first art piece in my family art collection.

Family Unity: Abstract African Art Painting by Injete Chesoni

Media: Acrylic on Paper

Be Bold: Inspirational Poetry

Another New Year is upon us and with it the usual New Year resolutions made only to be broken :-). This year I have centered my New Year Resolutions around just one simple pledge to "Be Bold." To all of you reading this blog post may you find inspiration in the words of my poem and live life boldly. Happy 2012 and blessings in the year ahead! Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it! - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe / W.H. Murray

 

Lion Photograph from http://www.public-domain-image.com

Be Bold
(An Inspirational Poem by Injete Chesoni)

Be BOLD
My child
Step out of your comfort zone
Go where you have never gone before

Be BOLD
My child
Be who you thought you never could be
Reach much further than your eyes can see

Be BOLD
My child
Do what you thought you never could do
You have nothing to lose
Except the you that you thought was you

Be BOLD
My child
You have so much to gain
Your struggles will not be in vain

Starting now
Starting here
Be BOLD
My child
And conquer fear

Be BOLD
My child
Be BOLD
So that when you
come to the end
of life’s road
You can proudly say
With no regrets
I lived my life well
I was BOLD

Begin-Goethe-Motivational Magnets by semas87
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Evolution of An Artist: from Shadows of Doubt to Fields of Dreams

Today I am celebrating my evolution as an artist. It is always good to examine one's growth over time. I started my creative journey back in 2004. I was working as a consultant back then and never defined myself as an artist. Throughout my high school and college years I leaned towards Economics and the sciences. I never even took art as a subject in high school even though I enjoyed painting and made some rather amateurish attempts back in my teenage years. Then one day in 2004 I just began drawing again I can't explain why or what moved me (see Shadows of Doubt drawing below). My mother loved the art piece which I stuck up on my bedroom wall and suggested I should pursue art more seriously.

 Shadows of Doubt: Oil Pastel and Pencil Drawing by Injete

In December 2004 my sister Atsango and I were doing Christmas shopping at the museum art gallery and we came across two beautiful metal art pieces, she bought one for herself and one for my brother Solomon and his wife Ina. I fell in love with metal art on that day and I knew I had to learn how to do it. One day while strolling through a shopping centre I saw a sign on the notice board advertising classes in hand-embossed metal art. I excitedly copied down the information and called the artist a Kenyan Asian lady called Taruna. I was her first African student. I discovered that apparently embossed metal art is an ancient tradition in India. From her I learned how to emboss and create images on metal. However, I never did discover what we used to paint the metal because she didn't tell me and she got all her supplies in India. So I spent many years trying to find paint which I could use on the metal (last year after "Googling" I finally discovered it was gold rust liquid).  But in between I made a few fascinating discoveries of my own. So I don't use rust liquid to paint my metal art pieces and I have since developed my own metal art techniques. These are images of the first art piece I sold and of one of the new art forms I developed (handmade metal art cards) which are miniature 4 by 4 inch metal art pieces in a card format.

Two Mothers/Confusion: Metal Oil Painting by Injete

Sax Player: Handmade Metal Art Card by Injete

I also started out with a love for oil pastels so once in a while I use those and much as I love the look of oil paint I simply don't have the patience to use it anymore. Just the other day I discovered another new technique using acrylic paints. As they say "Necessity is the mother of invention," I would like to paraphrase that to, "Necessity is the mother of creation." Last week while working on a painting for my sister Laura which is based on my original "Shadows of Doubt," art piece I realized what a long way I have come as an artist. I have developed a variety of art techniques and people who are familiar with my earlier work have acknowledged my growth and best of all I have actually received commissions and praise from people other than my family members :-). Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my family's support especially because many of my family members have great taste in art but the praise of strangers and their art purchases really do make me think at least I can lay claim to been an artist.

Buy Art Prints by Injete at FineArtAmerica.com

I have also sold some of my art gifts on Zazzle and best of all I have actually sold some of my poetry! Now that I consider an accomplishment because poetry is not easy to sell. So I decided that I really must do a blog post celebrating my evolution as an artist and strangely enough when I checked the date I started this blog it was almost two years ago in June 2009. So hoorah for me and thank-you to all of the people who have supported my creative journey over the years. Here's to what I hope will be many more fruitful, creative years!

By the Moons Glow: A Romantic Love Poem

This is a romantic love poem that I wrote a while back. I have posted it alongside a picture of the moon that I took on a particularly beautiful night.

Moon Photograph by Injete Chesoni

By The Moons Glow

(Romantic Love Poems by Injete Chesoni)

We found love’s flow
By the moon’s glow
On that special night
We shared untold delights

By the moon’s glow
Love put on a show
For two earthly souls
Wrapped in love’s burrow

Under that hallowed light
In the softly lit night
Two earthly sprites
Shared love’s delights

By the moon’s glow
We forgot about tomorrow
As we lost ourselves
In love’s magical flow

African Artist-Poet Injete Chesoni and This Blog featured on Global Voices Online

This blog and my poem Mystery in Old Town Mombasa, were featured in the article, "Africa: Predators of Art, Entrepreneurship and Poet Ramblings by Njeri Wangari," on the Global Voices Online website. Njeri Wangari also runs a great blog Kenyan Poet which has information on the Kenyan art scene, emerging art trends, art reviews, African poetry, African artists and musicians.

Image: African Map from African Art Metal Paintings by Injete Chesoni

Inspirational Heartbreak Love Poem: I Know I Will Love Again

This is an inspirational heartbreak poem to help those of you who are trying to get over a break-up. I hope it helps you in your journey of surviving a break-up and finding love again. You can read tips on how to get over a break-up here and you can find some heartbreak quotes here.

Image Courtesy of Tim Houlihan, Wikimedia: Mending My Broken Heart

I Know I Will Love Again:
A Love Break-up Poem by Injete Chesoni

When you left me,
My heart shattered into a million little pieces,
My life crumbled under your feet.
As you walked out that door,
You took my soul with you,
Onto that old cobbled street.

At first I could not accept it,
There was no way that you were gone.
I played this song over and over,
Tomorrow he will come back home.
And tomorrow turned into a million yesterdays,
As my life slowly wilted away,
I became a drooping flower,
Thirsting every day.

But still I could find no water,
For my source it was only one.
And it dried up forever for me,
when your love became undone.
I thought I would die without you,
And I slowly counted the days,
When I would meet my savior,
In a loveless haze.

But the days turned into years,
And still I was on this earth.
Nobody came to save me,
From my loveless hearth.

Then one day I finally realized,
That you were never coming back again,
And as long as I kept hoping for you,
My heart would be in pain.
A broken heart shattered in pieces,
Can never love again.

So I opened up my door,
And I stepped gingerly onto that old street,
Walking down that path to love,
So scary and yet oh so sweet.

I Know I Will Love Again: From Heartbreak Poems, Break-up Poems and Love Poems by Injete Chesoni

Lovers Voyage: A Short Love Poem by Injete Chesoni

Fused Flames of Love: Abstract Metal Art Work by Injete Chesoni


Lovers Voyage
(A Short Love Poem and Lovers Poem by Injete Chesoni)
~~~~~~~
The voyage started off calm and peaceful
And gently we drifted along
As we sailed further out
A storm started brewing
And rapidly we lost all control
~~~~~~~
Swept by the waves of passion
We were helpless in the storm
Two self-less bodies together
Making a new form
~~~~~~~
When the storm was over
We gently drifted apart
And then we came back together
Joined at the heart

~ Poetry Art By Injete Chesoni (06/23/09) ~

Poetry Art By Injete Chesoni: Devil In A Red Dress

Oil Pastel, Female Figure Art by Injete Chesoni: Devil in A Red Dress

Devil in A Red Dress
(A Poem on Seduction by Injete Chesoni)
~~~~~~~
Her hair entices you.
Her hips seduce you.
Her backside confuses you.
Her sway draws you.
~~~
When you walk with her you walk in fields of fire.
When you lay with her the flames lick your body.
When you join with her you are left a pile of ash.
~~~~~~~~~

Female Figure Art by Injete Chesoni: Devil In A Red Dress in Ash

Poetry Art by Injete Chesoni: Devil In A Red Dress

From Short Poems, Ekphrastic Poetry and Poetry Art by Injete Chesoni.

On The Eve of Change: A Marriage Poem By Injete Chesoni

Bride Illustration: Female Figure Art by Injete Chesoni

On The Eve of Change
(A Marriage Poem and Life Change Poem by Injete Chesoni)
~~~~~~~
I sit here knowing, I am a step away
from changing my life forever.
I ask myself am I ready,
to leave all that I have known behind,
and forge into the future.
I ask am I ready,
to throw all caution to the wind,
and entwine my life so closely with that of another.
I begin to hesitate
and on the eve of change,
I want to hold time still for a moment.
I cannot go back,
but I am so afraid to go forward.
Yet, I know that time will not wait for me.
And on the eve of change I realize
I must move forward with time,
or time will leave me behind.
~~~~~~~

You can read other Wedding, Anniversary and Marriage Poems here. You can find Wedding Invitation Verses here.

From Marriage poems, Wedding poems, Love poems, Short poems, Life poems and Change Poems by Injete Chesoni.

Poetry Art: Shadows of Doubt By Injete Chesoni

Shadows of Doubt: Acrylic Painting
Abstract Art By Injete Chesoni

Shadows of Doubt
What is real
and what is an image
When we stand naked before the world
do we show our real selves
or is our true self
consistently hidden in shadows of doubt

`````````````````
How can our true beauty be revealed
if it is cloaked in appearances
Perhaps when we go to the place of nothingness
our true beauty will emerge.

(Shadows of Doubt: Poetry by Injete Chesoni)

Poetry Art By Injete Chesoni: Shadows of Doubt in Sepia

Poetry Art By Injete Chesoni: Shadows of Doubt in Color