{tink makes art}

Ishmael Beah is a former Sierra Leonean child soldier and author of the published memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. I read his book a few years ago and was gripped by the stories, rather the realities in his life. At age 12, he fled attacking rebels. By age 13, he was a soldier in the government army. “Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope.”

I decided to paint Ishmael’s portrait, because he taught me about a world I knew very little about…a world that still exists today for over 300,000 children in more than fifty countries. He also taught me about hope. “When I was young, my father used to say, ‘If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.’ I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didn’t know where I was going. Those words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.”

Ishmael is a survivor and is using his experiences to bring hope to humanity. He currently lives in New York City and works towards ending child soldiering and helping those affected by war.

As a Literature major, I am inspired by those who can write. As a dreamer, I am inspired by those who have vision for a better tomorrow. Author and visionary, Henry David Thoreau, is the story behind this painting.

Henry David Thoreau is best known for his book Walden: Or Life Into the Woods and essay Civil Disobedience. Walden is a reflection of Thoreau’s experience at Walden pond where he lived simply in nature. Civil Disobedience is a call to individuals to resist an unjust government. Both writings seek a betterment of ourselves and thus of society. Thoreau is a portrait of hope.

BECOME WHO YOU ARE

I completed this painting last Fall. It is a part of my Inspirations series in which I use positive images, text, and themes in my pieces to encourage others. I am a big fan of quotes and inspirational phrases, so I take the words I’ve read, heard, or made up and create visual narratives showing what those words mean to me.

“Become who you are” is a phrase I came across in college. To it, I added another phrase: become who you were meant to be. I believe we are works in progress, continuously becoming who we were created to be: one at peace with everything, i.e. God.  Humans tend to be either too hard on ourselves or too prideful instead of resting in the reality that we are. We are ever changing, always growing creatures. We are not perfect, and the good news is, we are not meant to be.

This piece signifies each of our journey as we strive to become who we are.

I am initiating a new aspect of my blog, which is called Story Behind the Painting.  Story Behind the Painting will include one blog post each month that will give you background information about a particular painting.  I will share with you my ideas and/or experiences surrounding the painting and the process I used to create the piece. I would love to have your feedback, so please comment!

AFRICAN GIRL WITH CUP

A good friend of mine, Garry Dodds, was in Africa – Kenya for 3 months and Uganda for 2 months – this past year working with various NGOs, families, community organizations, and other groups/individuals he found along the way. While in Nakuru, Kenya, he volunteered at Arap Moi Children’s Home, a local orphanage, teaching various subjects like English and History. During recess he would play with the kids, including a young girl who has “two really big funny front teeth,” loves to dance, is “funny, and not too shy at all.” She would dance by “placing [her] hands on [her] hips and shifting around somehow.”

Garry sent me a letter from Uganda with this photo of her included:

I loved her eyes as well as the colors and composition of the photo.
And thus, using my own style and media, a painting was born…

I first started with a gray background. Next, I sketched the girl. I then taped off and covered the sketch in order to spray paint the green part of the background. Color was then applied to the girl and cup, and all was outlined in black.

This painting is a part of the Faces||Story series, which includes many other portraits in this style. View the complete series here.

Thanks Garry for sharing your stories of life’s journey with me.

Be on the look out for next month’s Story Behind the Painting.