Metal Wall Art Decor: Paintings of African Women Turkana

I did this painting of an African woman from the Turkana tribe in Kenya as a commission for a friend. The Turkana people are renowned for their beautiful beaded African jewelry. I really enjoyed doing this embossed metal art piece and in particular painting over the beaded necklace. The paint colors came out particularly vibrant. I intend to do more paintings of women from tribes with interesting jewelry. If you would like to buy artwork please send an email to minjete@gmail.com.

African Art Painting of Woman

Turkana Girl (I) by Injete Chesoni

 Metal Wall Art Decor

Turkana Girl Painting by Injete Chesoni

 

 African Artwork

 Turkana Girl (I) by Injete Chesoni

 Metal Wall Art Decor

Painting of African Woman, (Turkana II) by Injete

Office Decor: Door Signs and Wall Plaques

Office decor and art can be used to both motivate employees and create beautiful working spaces. You can get creative with your office door signs and wall signs. Instead of the typical boring door plaques you can order custom door signs with creative wording and in your company colors. The door signs are available as handmade metal signs or aluminum metal prints. To order handmade metal art signs please send an email to minjete@gmail.com. My door signs will also soon be available as metal prints which you can buy online from my Pixels.com and Zazzle.com stores.

Boardroom Door Sign

Office Signs by Injete

Think Tank Wall Plaque, Office Decor

Metal Art Signs by Injete

Ladies Toilet Sign, Red Heels Shoe Painting

Restroom Signs by Injete

Gents Toilet Sign, Red Shoe Painting

Restroom Signs by Injete

Ninjas at Work Wall Sign, Office Decor

Metal Art Signs by Injete

Meeting Room Sign

Office Signs by Injete

Gents Toilet Sign, Black Shoe Painting

Restroom Signs by Injete

Ladies Toilet Sign, Black Heels Shoe Painting

Restroom Signs by Injete

 

Personalized Art Gifts: The Statesman

Last year we got invited to the 70th birthday party of a family friend. I usually have a hard time picking birthday gifts for men especially the type of man who has everything so I took the easy way out and asked his daughter what we should get for her dad's gift. Turns out he loves both art and books, so she suggested we buy him one of the two. I decided to make him a personalized gift of a metal painting with his initials, birth year and nickname included in the art piece. He likes to wear hats and is a retired politician so I decided to incorporate these elements too. The metal art piece includes some Kiswahili phrases, "Ligi Kuu" meaning the Major League is inscribed on one of the stools and hats. Kaa Ngumu his nickname which means "stay firm" or "stand your ground" is also inscribed in one of the stools. Kaa also means "sit" in Kiswahili. Finally I also inscribed "Elders Council," on one of the stools. I used stools versus chairs in the painting since they are a symbol of leadership in some African cultures. If you are interested in buying artwork please send an email to minjete@gmail.com.

 Metal Wall Art by Injete Chesoni

The Statesman, Council of Elders (Detail)

African Art Painting by Injete Chesoni

The Statesman, Council of Elders (Detail)

African Artwork by Injete Chesoni 

The Statesman, Council of Elders

 Metal Wall Art Painting by Injete Chesoni

The Statesman, Council of Elders (Detail)

Art for Sale: African Art Inspirational Paintings of Women

This year I decided to return to actively painting and blogging about my art work. While going through my existing art pieces I came across a few I had not posted on this blog. Some are from a collection of art pieces I did as a commission for the Young Women's Leadership Institute (YWLI Kenya) and others were inspired by that commission. If you are interested in buying any of these paintings please send an email inquiry to minjete@gmail.com.

The idea behind the YWLI art collection was inspiring young women to take flight and reach for greater heights, as well as celebrating sisterhood. My favorite piece from the collection is the "Basket of Butterflies."

Basket of Butterflies by Injete Chesoni

African Art, Abstract Metal Wall Art

Sisterhood Celebration, African Dancers by Injete Chesoni

African Art, Metal Paintings of Women

 Basket of Hope by Injete Chesoni

Black Art, African Paintings of Women

Posing: Metal Wall Art Nude Painting by Injete

Acrylic Paint on Metal (22 by 25.5 inches, Framed with Mat)

Art for Sale: $500 (Free Shipping)

Artist Appreciation Month: My Metal Art Inspiration

I first heard about Artist Appreciation Month this year from fellow artist Patience Brewster whose whimsical Christmas Ornaments I love. As part of Artist Appreciation Month activities I was asked to write about artists who inspire me. I have chosen to write about the artist who inspired me to start making metal art. 

It was Christmas over ten years ago and my sister Atsango and I were shopping for Christmas gifts. She, been a lover of art, and I been a recent returnee to Kenya we decided to go by the art gallery at the Kenya National Museum. There I saw the most stunning piece of metal art (see a photograph of it below), I felt an immediate connection to it and so did Atsango. Since I was a broke college student at the time she ended up buying the art piece for herself and one other piece by the same artist for my brother and his wife. 

African Metal Art purchased Kenya National Museum, Artist Unknown 

Unfortunately, since the artwork was not signed, I am yet to learn the name of the talented artist who created this piece, but I remain forever grateful to him/her for re-awakening my creative spirit. Should anyone know the name of this artist please get in touch with me. 

On that day over ten years ago I decided I had to learn this wonderful metal art form. Soon after as I was walking in one of the malls, I checked the notice board and saw a tiny advert for classes in hand embossed metal art. I took down the art teacher’s phone number and called her shortly thereafter. Her name was Taruna and she taught me the ancient Indian art form of embossing aluminum metal. From then on I developed my own style based loosely on the Indian art form. To this day I work primarily with metal.  

Romantic Gifts: Love Art Collection by Injete

At this time of year those of us lucky enough to have a special someone in our lives are scrambling around looking for the perfect Valentines Day gift.   This year I decided to create a number of romantic art pieces which celebrate love. In honor of Valentines Day and all of those scrambling around for unique Valentines Gifts I am offering a Valentines Discount on all of my artwork through to February 28^th. While Valentines is a special day set aside for lovers, love in and of itself is everlasting and should be celebrated everyday. My art work and products focus on love and can be given as gifts to those you love on any day not just Valentines. Look out for more products in my Love Collection including more art work, canvas art prints, metal and wood prints, printable downloadable products such as greeting cards and love quote posters, and my Zazzle Romantic Gifts collection. You can also commission unique metal art pieces for your special someone or to give as Wedding or Anniversary gifts. To order artwork send an email with your request to minjete@gmail.com.  Here is some of my current artwork available for sale. These paintings are perfect decor for your office or home, framed and on your desk, shelves or table tops.

Lovers Embrace I: Abstract Art Paintings by Injete
Acrylic on Paper Painting (4 x 6"): Make an Offer

Email minjete@gmail.com to Buy Artwork

Kiss IV: Abstract Art Paintings by Injete
Acrylic on Paper Painting (5 x 7"): Make an Offer

Email minjete@gmail.com to Buy Artwork

Lovers Embrace II: Abstract Art Paintings by Injete
Acrylic on Paper Painting (5 x 7"): Make an Offer

Email minjete@gmail.com to Buy Artwork

Nibusu (I) / Kiss Me (I): Abstract Art Paintings by Injete
Acrylic on Paper Painting (4 x 6"): Make an Offer

Email minjete@gmail.com to Buy Artwork

Nibusu (II) / Kiss Me (II): Abstract Art Paintings by Injete
Acrylic on Paper Painting (4 x 6"): Make an Offer

Email minjete@gmail.com to Buy Artwork

 Kiss III: Embossed Abstract Metal Art Paintings by Injete 

Metal Art Painting (6 x 8"): SOLD

Email minjete@gmail.com to Buy Artwork

Love Collection Metal Wall Art: Valentines Day Sale

The season of love is here and to celebrate it I will be offering some of my art on sale for Valentines Day gifts. This includes new artwork made for Valentines as well as wedding and anniversary art gifts. Most of my artwork can be reproduced on metal and is available on order.  Due to the nature of the metal and embossing technique used each art piece is unique and has color variations. You can order the art piece with or without the decorative border. Free shipping is available on all orders of $500 or more. This includes a combination of art pieces or one art piece as long as the total order sums up to $500 or more. Prices for metal wall art pieces measuring 12 by 16 inches start at $500. The art pieces come framed and ready to hang. For all orders placed in February there will be a Valentines Discount.  Payment options include PayPal and Credit or Debit Card Payments via PayPal.  To place an order send an email to minjete@gmail.com with the title of the art piece. Here is a sample of available metal wall art pieces in my Love Collection.  Please note you can order any of my art pieces including those not in the collection. For smaller metal and acrylic on paper paintings see my Love Art Collection blog post.

LOVE COLLECTION: METAL WALL ART

Wedding Dance, Bump: Love Collection, African Metal Art by Injete
Media: Embossed Metal Wall Art Painting (Size: 12" x 16") 

Price: $500, Art piece Available on Order

Free Shipping on All Orders Over $500

Kiss III: Love Collection, Abstract Metal Art by Injete
Media: Embossed, Metal Wall Art Painting (Size: 12" x 16") 

Price: $500, Art piece Available on Order

Free Shipping on All Orders Over $500

 

Wedding Dance, Drumbeats: Love Collection, Metal Wall Art by Injete
Media: Embossed African Art Painting (Size: 16" x 20" with border)

Price: $650, Art piece Available on Order

Free Shipping on All Orders Over $500

Inspirational Metal Art: Basket of Butterflies

Earlier this year I received a request to do a commission of three metal paintings featuring young women. The commission was for a young women's institution with a focus on leadership. So I wanted to do paintings which were inspirational and which at the same time captured the essence of young women. While working on the commission I created a few other paintings and this is one of them. The butterfly is symbolic of inspiration, flight and freedom.

Basket of Butterflies Portrait

Inspirational Metal Art by Injete Chesoni

Medium: Acrylic Painting on Embossed Metal

Size: 16.6" x 29.3"

SOLD

Send orders to Buy Artwork to minjete@gmail.com

Music Art Gifts

Last year my brother-in-law Ed, commissioned me to do a music art gift for his musician friend Steve Coleman. I modeled the art piece on some of my previous music art work including Sax Player and Guitar Player. I added a few personal touches based on what my brother-in-law told me about Steve such as the backward baseball cap and engraved astrological symbols on the border of the art piece. Here is a photograph of Steve's art gift and other pieces from my music art collection. All of the original art pieces are acrylic paintings on metal and have been sold however, they are available online as art prints and products at my FineArtAmerica gallery.

Sax Music Art: Sax Player II

Embossed Acrylic Metal Painting by Injete

Sax Music Art: Sax Player I

Handmade Metal Art Card by Injete Chesoni

Musical Art: Sax Player III

Metal Art Painting by Injete Chesoni

Large Metal Art African Masks

Those of you who are familiar with my metal artwork may have noticed I tend to make smaller art pieces usually less than 12 by 16 inches. This is not due to a love for miniature art work but more due to the limitations of the metal I work with. Well that all changed in September when I got a commission for a larger art piece. The customer wanted a metal art piece that was at least 18 by 24 inches. So I had to stretch both my creative thinking and metal in order to come up with a piece that was 18 by 24 inches and still aesthetically pleasing. I joined a number of metal art pieces together and the end product was rather delightful. Best of all my customer was pleased with his new art piece. Here is a photo of the completed piece below. It is part of my African Masks collection and is based on my original Fathers Mask art piece.

African Mask: Embossed Metal Painting by Injete

 Fathers Mask (18.5 by 23.5 inches)

 African Mask: Embossed Metal Painting by Injete

Fathers Mask (18.5 by 23.5 inches)

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!

Art Gifts by Injete, June and July 2011

Of late I have been extremely busy trading currencies and I have neglected my creative pursuits. My muse kept calling and since my fabulous younger sister Sandra was visiting from the States, I decided to do an art piece for her and for my other sister, Laura and brother in law, Ed. At the same time a friend of mine commissioned an art piece for one of her work colleagues, I had promised a family friend a wedding art gift and in the midst of all that I got a request from another friend to do a book cover (the original piece didn't work for him so I ended up sending him my sister's piece to use as a cover). So I wound up with a whirlwind of creative projects in June and July (I guess my muse decided to hammer me on the head since I kept ignoring her). Here are the fruits of my labour. I am quite pleased with my evolution as an artist and all the recipients loved their art pieces. It has been a busy but fruitful period. My goals for August are finding some balance, spending less time on currency trading and re-allocating time to my creative and online ventures.

 Laura's Field of Dreams I: Abstract Art Women's Paintings by Injete

Sandra's Thinking Woman: Abstract Metal Art Painting by Injete

 Vivian's African Dancers: African Art, Women Paintings by Injete

 Janet and Jeremy's Wedding Gift: African Metal Art by Injete

Electric Blue, Guitar Man: Abstract Metal Art Painting by Injete

 Laura's Field of Dreams II: Abstract Art Women's Paintings by Injete