User:Wycliffe Alwar

Born in Nairobi (Kibera) on 1st June 1987 I developed interest for the Visual Arts in pre-school

I’m a versatile artist based in Nairobi. I paint, mostly on canvas, but I also use other materials, whatever I might find – wood, iron sheets, paper, cardboards etc. I tell a story, a story about my country Kenya and the African continent, it's people, history, cultures and it's beauty.

when my paint brush draws a line, Sometimes I cut and glue and sometimes it ends up as a three –dimensional. Often I don’t know what is emerging in all that I do. However, at the moment the art comes into existence, most often in the background it seems to reflect a story, a piece of music, an idea, space, time or a mood.

As a self-taught artist, what interests me is rarely any specific subject unto itself. Instead I see colour harmony, rhythms, patterns, and strong shapes. Weaving in and out, the world at 1000 Mph life at a glance, this is how I paint. It’s fascinating seeing this way. My art engages viewers, like passers-by who have to stop and move in more closely. The work invites them to find their own answers, like following clues to a mystery and they can become an artist themselves, even if it’s only for a moment.

COLOUR, it fills our world, enriching it greatly. It has always evoked a special reaction in me. I don’t simply see it but rather I react to it emotionally, whether it is the changing colours in the ocean or sky, the birds flying by or the flowers in my garden. My goal is to evoke a similar reaction for myself as I watch the acrylic paints merge together and explode off the canvas, creating combinations that are often unexpected. Constant excitement influences my art as I prefer to display organic, non-objective shapes, which encourage the viewer to find their own message.

I’m fascinated with the way art can tell multiple stories. Each viewer sees what speaks to their own individual place in life and as an artist I’m privileged to be able to allow that kind of visual journey through my artwork.