Showing posts with label african art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label african art. Show all posts

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Golden Brown Children Of The Sun: Black Poetry and African Art For Africa Day

Golden Brown Children of the Sun is my latest poem, I wrote it just today (May 25th, 2023). The phrase Golden Brown has been dancing around in my mind for a long time now. I love the term, it invokes in my mind images of brown skin lit with gold. I love the color and word gold and all that it encapsulates. Today I was driven to write a poem using the phrase Golden Brown. Coincidentally, as I got ready to publish this blog post I discovered lo and behold it is Africa Day. So in commemoration of Africa Day I dedicate this poem to all African people and people of African descent around the world. My poem, Golden Brown Children of the Sun was written for all people of color may you always shine bright like the sun that lives in you.

 
Africa Map Art, African Metal Wall Art by Injete Chesoni
 

GOLDEN BROWN CHILDREN OF THE SUN

Black Poetry and African Poems by Injete Chesoni

 

Golden Brown

kissed by the sun

Skin 

in joyful hues

That sing

Of days

having fun

Soaking up 

brilliant 

rays of sun

Light

That shines bright

In the skies 

Warming the earth

Whenever you rise


Golden brown

Child

May you always

Shine as

bright as the

Sun that lives in you


Golden Brown

Goddess

With a crown

Made of

Jewels that sparkle 

like the Sun

May you always

Glow and burn

As bright as the sun

That lives in you


Brilliant fire

May you never tire


Golden brown

Kings of the Earth

May you rise to claim

your birth

right to shine bright

and light up the world

With the flaming rays of the 

Sun that you are


Brilliant fire

May you never tire


Golden brown

Children of the sun

May you always

Shine bright with the fire

That lives in you. 


Brilliant sparks

Of light and fire

May you never

ever tire.

 

Copyright 2023 Maureen Injete Chesoni 

 

 
 

 

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

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

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

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)

Thursday, August 27, 2015

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)

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

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.  



Friday, February 6, 2015

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



Monday, April 9, 2012

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

Monday, November 7, 2011

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)

Saturday, July 23, 2011

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


Monday, April 11, 2011

Birthday Wishes for My Mother

Today (April 10th) is my mother's birthday. My mother is a phenomenal woman who my father fondly referred to as "a woman of substance." I am blessed to have a mother who is one of my dearest friends and as an adult I have grown to appreciate the special bond that I have with her. If you follow my blog or read my articles you will most likely find a reference to her. Today in commemoration of her birthday I decided to post one of my very early art pieces, while it is a simple art piece I love it. I also have posted my favorite mother poem which I wrote last year and gave to her as a gift on Christmas Day (she was very pleased with the framed poetry poster and has hang it up in her bedroom). My mother has been my greatest supporter over the years including when I decided to become an artist (even after she spent years supporting my university education in totally different fields). I truly am blessed and thank God for the wonderful parents he gave me. Happy Birthday Mummy and God Bless You Always!

Angel In Green: Black African Art by Injete Chesoni
(Pastel and Acrylic Art Painting of Black Girl)

Flowers for Mother: A Daughter's Wishes
(Daughter to Mother Poems by Injete Chesoni)
I wish you sunshine on your cloudy days
A burst of yellow to pierce the gray
I wish you spring’s flowers on winter days
A burst of color in the midst of pale
I wish you rain when your fields are dry
A blossoming of life where flowers die
I wish you joy every single day
And smiles to wash your pain away
I wish you wings so that you can fly
With the angels in heaven’s skies
I wish you the fulfillment
of dreams unfulfilled
And the contentment
that fulfillment brings
My dearest mother you see
I wish you all
that you have wished for me
On this and every single day
I wish you flowers
 to brighten up your days.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

African Wisdom: A Collection of African Quotes

I love quotes I think it’s a passion I got from my father who often quoted Shakespeare and had a collection of books with quotes. In commemoration of Black History month I have decided to post a collection of some of my favorite African Quotes and Proverbs on a variety of topics. These quotes are full of wisdom and give us a glimpse into African Culture and History. When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him. ~Ashanti Proverb


     African Thinking Man: Handmade metal art card by Injete

African Quotes on Wisdom
1.    Wisdom is wealth. - Swahili
2.    Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it. - Akan Proverb
3.    The fool speaks, the wise man listens. ~Ethiopian Proverb
4.    Wisdom does not come overnight. – Somali
5.    The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water. ~ Cameroon
6.    Wisdom is like fire. People take it from others. - Hema (DRC) Proverb
7.    Only a wise person can solve a difficult problem. ~Akan Proverb
8.    Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand. ~ Guinean Proverb
9.    In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams. ~Nigerian
10.  If you are filled with pride, then you will have no room for wisdom.
11.  A wise person will always find a way. ~Tanzanian Proverb
12.  Nobody is born wise. ~African Proverb

Bwa African Mask Painting by Injete (African Quote Card)

African Quotes on Learning
1.    Learning expands great souls. ~Namibian Proverb
2.    To get lost is to learn the way.
3.    By crawling a child learns to stand.
4.    If you close your eyes to facts, you will learn through accidents. ~African Proverb
5.    He who learns, teaches. ~ Ethiopian Proverb
6.    Wealth, if you use it, comes to an end; learning, if you use it, increases. ~Swahili Proverb
7.    By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree. ~Buganda Proverb
8.    You always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win. ~African Proverb
9.    You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down. ~Bateke Proverb
10.    The wise create proverbs for fools to learn, not to repeat. ~African Proverb
11.    What you help a child to love can be more important than what you help him to learn. ~African Proverb
12.    By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed. ~Ashanti Proverb
13.    One who causes others misfortune also teaches them wisdom. ~African Proverb
14.    You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. ~Congolese Proverb
15.    What you learn is what you die with. ~African Proverb


    Circle of Sisters, Celebration Table: Metal Art by Injete
 

African Quotes on Unity and Community
1.    Unity is strength, division is weakness. – Swahili
2.    Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. - Bondei
3.    It takes a village to raise a child. – African proverb
4.    Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won't eat you. - African proverb
5.    Many hands make light work. - Haya (Tanzania)
6.    Where there are many, nothing goes wrong. – Swahili
7.    Two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper. – Tanzania
8.    A single bracelet does not jingle. - Congo
9.    A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn.
10.    If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. - African proverb

    Soul Sisters: African Art Metal Painting by Injete


African Quotes on Family
1.    A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has its place.
2.    A united family eats from the same plate. – Baganda
3.    A family tie is like a tree, it can bend but it cannot break.
4.    If I am in harmony with my family, that's success. – Ute
5.    Brothers love each other when they are equally rich.
6.    He who earns calamity, eats it with his family.
7.    Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family. – Ethiopian
8.    The old woman looks after the child to grow its teeth and the young one in turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth. - Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast)
9.    When brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father's estate. – Ibo
10.    Children are the reward of life.

Coffee Art by Injete (African Quote Card)

African Love Quotes and Marriage Quotes
1.    He who loves the vase loves also what is inside. - African Proverb
2.    It's much easier to fall in love than to stay in love. ~African Proverb
3.    Coffee and love taste best when hot. ~Ethiopian Proverb
4.    Where there is love there is no darkness. ~Burundian Proverb
5.    If you are ugly you must either learn to dance or make love. - Zimbabwean Proverb
6.    Pretend you are dead and you will see who really loves you. ~African Proverb
7.    To love the king is not bad, but a king who loves you is better. ~Wolof Proverb
8.    A happy man marries the girl he loves, but a happier man loves the girl he marries. - African Proverb
9.    If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains as is. - Egyptian Proverb
10.    Love never gets lost it's only kept. ~African Proverb
11.    Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you. – Mozambique
12.    One thread for the needle, one love for the heart. - Sudanese Proverb
13.    Love has to be shown by deeds not words. – Swahili
14.    Love is a despot who spares no one. ~Namibian Proverb
15.    Marriage is like a groundnut; you have to crack it to see what is inside. – Ghana

     Green Snail: Metal Art Painting by Injete

African Quotes on Patience
1.    Patience is the key which solves all problems. - Sudanese
2.    Hurry hurry has no blessings. – Swahili
3.    Patience is the mother of a beautiful child. - Bantu
4.    To run is not necessarily to arrive. - Swahili
5.    Patience can cook a stone.
6.    A patient man will eat ripe fruit.
7.    At the bottom of patience one finds heaven.
8.    A patient person never misses a thing. - Swahili
9.    Always being in a hurry does not prevent death, neither does going slowly prevent living. – Ibo
10.    However long the night, the dawn will break.

 Sax Player: Abstract Metal Art Card by Injete

African Quotes on Music
  1. Music speaks louder than words. - African Proverb 
  2. Birds sing not because they have answers but because they have songs. - African Proverb 
  3. Music and women should not be dated. - African Proverb 
  4. Even a horn can be stopped from fighting and made to sing forever. - African Proverb 
  5. Good music goes with good food. - African Proverb 
  6. Who does not love to dance, does not love to sing. - Lango Proverb 
  7. He who understands music understands the cosmos. - Egyptian Proverb
 



Saturday, January 1, 2011

African Women: Proverbs, Poetry and Art

In keeping with the spirit of the New Year I decided to go back to my roots for some words of wisdom. Here are some African proverbs , poetry and art about women, friendship and motherhood.


African Friendship Quotes
1. The friends of our friends are our friends. - Congo
2. A friend is someone you share the path with. - African proverb
3. To be without a friend is to be poor indeed. - Tanzania
4. Because friendship is pleasant, we partake of our friend's entertainment; not because we have not enough to eat in our own house. - African proverb
5. Hold a true friend with both hands. - African proverb
6. A friend is someone you share the path with. - African proverb
7. Show me your friend and I will show you your character. - African proverb
8. Sorrow is like a precious treasure, shown only to friends. - African proverb
9. Return to old watering holes for more than water; friends and dreams are there to meet you. - African proverb
10. Between true friends even water drunk together is sweet enough. - African proverb
11. A small house will hold a hundred friends. - African proverb
12. A close friend can become a close enemy. - African proverb
13. Bad friends will prevent you from having good friends. - Gabon
Family Unity: Abstract African Art Painting by Injete
Buy Family Unity African Art Print here

African Mother Quotes
1. The good mother knows what her children will eat. - Akan Proverb
2. Parents give birth to the body of their children, but not always to their characters. - Ganda Proverb
3. Only a mother would carry the child that bites. - Nigerian Proverb
4. Even though the baby monkey appears so ugly it's mother loves it anyway. - African proverb
5. The mother hen does not break its own eggs. - Swahili Saying, Eastern Africa
6. He that has never traveled thinks that his mother is the only good cook in the world. - Kenya
7. Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother. - African proverb
8. A child does not laugh at the ugliness of his mother. - African proverb
9. A mother cannot give birth to something bigger than herself. - African Proverb
10. Give birth to children and you will be pregnant with worries. - Namibian Proverb

Sunset Dreams $150 (Free Shipping)
Media: Oil Paint on Metal (8.1 x 11.75 inches) 

   
African Women Quotes
1. If men swear that they want to harm you when you are asleep, you can go to sleep. If women say so, stay awake. - African proverb
2. A woman can hide her love for 40 years, but her disgust and anger not for one day. - Arab Proverb
3. If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family (nation)." - Ghana
4. A home without a woman is like a barn without cattle. - African proverb
5. An old woman  is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. - African proverb
6. A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it. - Ghana
7. You are beautiful, but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty. - Congolese
8. Do not desire a woman with beautiful breasts, if you have no money. - South African

Friends On the Way to the River: $125  
Media: Oil Paint on Metal (9.25 x 13 inches)
Framed and Ready to Hang.

On the way to the river  
African Womens' Poetry by Injete Chesoni
On the way to the river
We stop and catch up
On the latest village gossip
Two sisters, two girlfriends having a chat
We talk of Amadou
And how he has married wife number two
And of Seydou
And how he flew into a rage over
His wife Paige
And her horrendous cooking
He is now thinking about
kicking her out
All over cooking
We chuckle
Maybe we will give her a lesson or two
On how to prepare a meal for two
That’s sure to please and appease her man
Into letting her stay
If she wants to that is
We chat about Mama Lucy
And her cheating ways
Yesterday she was caught
In Chief Malay’s
Boat
In a compromising position
We whisper and blush
At the thought
Wishing we were as daring and free as she
But as for us
We are tied up by the chains of domesticity
And we must return to our chores
Of fetching water
And washing clothes
And all those other never-ending tasks
The daily life of a wife
Interrupted for a moment
As we live other people's lives
In our daily gossip on the way to the river

Posing: Metal Wall Art Nude Painting by Injete
Acrylic Paint on Metal (22 x 25.5 inches Framed with Mat) 
Price: $350 (Free Shipping)