Helen Elizabeth Martins - 'Outsider' Artist

From About.com:

Helen Elizabeth Martins ('Miss Helen') is considered South Africa's foremost Outsider Artist.

(Outsider Art was first recognized by the French artist Jean Dubuffet, who coined the term 'Art Brut', or Raw Art, and described it as "fantastic, raw, visionary art created by individuals often maladjusted, with no art training, who work outside the mainstream of the art world.")


... left with few prospects in a marginalized Karoo village, Martins became increasingly reclusive and isolated from the local community.

Known to the residents as 'Miss Helen' and thought of as a strange and rather outlandish character, she shied away from general contact, and began transforming her house and garden ...


... Helen Martins' art was greeted with derision and suspicion from the village.

Despite crippling arthritis, and the amputation of her small toes (her feet were disfigured from wearing narrow shoes) which left her unable to wear anything but slip-ons on her feet, Martins decorated her home with 'glass and light' ...


... In 1964 Helen Martins employed Koos Malgas, an itinerant sheepshearer, to help her make the cement-and -glass statues which fill the Camel Yard outside her house. Formally the garden, this sculpture yard had over 300 figures and animals.

Malgas became her foremost friend and companion, and remained by her side for the last 12 years of her life. Helen's close relationship with her Coloured assistant was viewed with great suspicion by Nieu Bethesda's Apartheid era residents ...


... Helen Martins' eyesight began to fail and in 1976 she took her own life by swallowing a mixture of caustic soda and crushed glass in olive oil.

She could not bear the thought of going blind - a great theme in her life and work is light - and she was worried that she would be taken away from her life's work.


Koos Malgas remained for another two years before relocating to Worcester, but returned in 1991 to assist in the restoration of the Owl House which had been declared a national monument and was supported by the newly created Owl House Foundation.

It had been Helen Martins' greatest wish that the Owl House and Camel Yard be preserved as a museum.


I would love to make a pilgrimage to Miss Helen's Owl House someday - I feel like we share a similar twist of mind ...

More info and images here and here.

Images in this post by Marion Boddy-Evans

.

True African Art

Jared Njuguna
Gourd
From the homepage of True African Art: 'True African Art.com is an African art paintings online gallery store. Our concentration is on contemporary African paintings by African artists.'



Michael Wafula
Prayers Under God's Eye
'In our online African art paintings gallery, on many of our pages, you can watch exclusive video interviews of our African painter artists made on the scene in Kenya, East Africa.

These videos not only show you that we know our artists personally, but they also let you get up close to the people and culture that make the Black African art paintings you love.

The website also has extensive, unique, first hand biographical information on most of its African artists.'



Songoho
Island Sunrise
The owner of True Africa Art, Gathinja Yamokoski, was born in Kenya and, being an artist herself, also features a page showcasing her own work on the site.



Gathinja Yamokoski
Ululation
Pay True African Art a visit if you're interested in African Art - you'll probably find something you like ...
.

Peter Binsbergen - South African Artist

Family Crossfire


Final resting place for a Spitfire Pilot. Jack Heald Rolt - 1945


Dungball - new space created

Peter Binsbergen
From Peter Binsbergen's bio on Art.co.za:

Peter Binsbergen's art works speak vigorously for themselves. It is exactly through their strong visual impact that they convey their message or rather messages.

What messages, could be asked. They are messages of both the past and the present, messages of struggle, messages of lost dreams and even messages of human brutality.

But pay special attention to his generous use of symbols form the world of fauna and flora. What does that mean? It means life and freedom, since wild animals in their natural state roam freely. And trees, shrubs and flowers grow and bloom abundantly in freedom.

I love this blue and the sense of space.

.

Thea Burger - South African Artist

Shades Of Life
Thea writes on her blog Shades Of Life: "I live in Pretoria, South Africa. I am a daily painter. I work in oils & explore all other mediums from time to time."

Pay Thea a visit and check-out some of her albums ...

.

Elisha Ongere - Kenyan Artist

Meal for Husband


Turkana Beauties

ELISHA ONGERE
More of Elisha's work here

.

Bob Cnoops - South African Artist

Bob Cnoops
.

Abraham Shangala Ngume - Kenyan Artist

Drunk and Happy


War and Peace


Reproduction


Together as One

Abraham Shangala Ngume
.

Ben Agbee - Ghanaian Artist

Hornblowers


We Can Fly
Ben Agbee
Ben Agbee is currently one of Ghana's most respected and successful artists. He was born in Ghana in 1966, and went on to major in art at college, graduating in 1989. After graduation, Agbee continued to paint while he worked in advertising and design. Now, his success as an artist has allowed him to pursue painting as a full time career.

.

Bernard Ndichu Njuguna - Kenyan Artist

Njuguna
"Our earliest childhood memories are carried with us and shape our life journeys. Ndichu Njuguna grew up in central highlands of Kenya surrounded by scenic landscapes and greenery. Moving narratives from his mother and observing his dad prepare art lesson schemes for teacher's college where he taught, were his earliest exposure to art. These childhood scenes have shaped and provided inspiration for his paintings."

.

Ethiopia - Omo Tribes Body Painting

'In the confines of Ethiopia in Africa, centuries away from modernity, Hans Sylvester photographed during six years the tribes where men, women, children, old people, are geniuses of an ancient art, body painting.

The Omo Tribes are genius of body painting, and their bodies of two metres high is a huge canvas.'

Wow! ... beautiful people and a great set of images - see more here.

.

Wiz Kudowor - Ghanaian Artist

Earth Spirits III


Love Cocoon
Wiz Kudowor
Wisdom 'Wiz' Kudowor is currently one of Ghana's most respected and applauded contemporary artists.

Wiz studied at the College of Art, University of Science and Technology, Ghana. He graduated in 1981 with a first class honours degree in fine art.

He has designed and executed public works in Ghana including a relief mural at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. His works are widely held in both and public collections worldwide.

.

Karin Preller - South African Artist

Karin Preller
"Continuing my exploration of family snapshots of a specific era, the paintings are based on photographs taken in the Kruger National Park during the late 1950s.

Reproduced and enlarged in oil on canvas, the peculiarities of small faded snapshots are emphasized and enhanced.

As snapshots, the images are indistinguishable from thousands of others; as paintings, they possess a particular affective quality which retains our gaze ..."

.

Sarah O. Shiundu - Kenyan Artist

SARAH SHIUNDU
I love the colors and lines ... more on the page ...

.

Edward Tingatinga - Tanzanian Artist

EDWARD TINGATINGA
I love Tingatinga's work ... more on the page.

.

Kenyan Artist - Martin Bulinya

Martin Bulinya
.