A few words about your artistic journey

Before I became a full time abstract artist, I dabbled in other art forms such as photography, but I’ve found the most peace while painting. Translating nature onto canvas has become a way of translating my lived experience as a woman and as a human being.

How long have you been an artist ?

After I quit my job in 2016, I used painting as an escape. It has slowly become a way of journaling.

Why did you apply for this grant ? How will the grant support you ?

I applied for the Africalia grant because COVID-19 has made life harder for everyone, but more so artists. We are now more worried about paying bills than creating art.

What are your concrete artistic objectives after this residency ?

I want to explore other mediums other than acrylic paint

What did you achieve during this creative residency ? What is the result (created work) ? Who was involved in the creation process ?

While applying for the grant, I wanted to create seven paintings for the collection “Colors Within.” I ended up creating nine artworks because I wanted to explore the blue color in two extra paintings.

During this residency, I experimented with different mediums such as colored pencils, soft pastels, and oil pastels. I worked alone, in my home studio, but I shared parts of the process and progress on social media.

How do you think these activities contribute to a reflection on today’s world, in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and/or on the shaping of the future ?

Colors Within is covering the topic “Here and Now”. The idea behind this collection of artworks was to draw inspiration from the present, where the COVID-19 crisis has complicated the basics of everyday life, particularly travel, social life, and work. I think that appreciating our immediate environment makes us more present and prepares us for the future.

How did you feel during the residency ? And at the end of it ?

I felt good and motivated to create during the residency. The grant money helped me offset the art supplies I needed to create the collection, and I used the other part of it to offset other bills.

As individual pieces and as a collection, the art pieces I created during this residency made me strive to do more and better. I consider the collection a major milestone in my growth as an artist, because in addition to winning the Africalia grant, it gave me more courage to continue sharing my work beyond my social circles.