John Maina: “In pursuit of freedom.”

Taking in mind the helpful critique given to you by some of the established painters to find freedom in your works, how has it been an influence on this project?

I met an artist by the name of Mr. Samuel Njuguna who has sold paintings all over the world. Many of his paintings hang in big hotels and known banks here in Nairobi. The advice is on account that he saw my work and appreciated them. But said that I was trying so hard to prove that I could paint. Hence the immense details in my work and challenged me mentally. As a result, he advised that as an artist, the main achievement should be finding freedom in my creation process. So, in my new project, I’m proud to say that it was highly impacted by the advice given.

In the series ” In pursuit of freedom”, the idea to paint on the recycled cartons as one of the mediums used, how and why did you come up with this idea?

In my series titled “In pursuit of freedom”. The idea of painting on a carton is a thought from a long time ago. I was not sure yet of how to implement it as I was scared of the outcome. The idea came as I was visiting Mukuru Art Collectives and got inspired by how the artists there turn waste to create beautiful art. Hence the idea of recycling came along. So, while looking for old frames to stretch my canvas at home, I stumbled upon this old carton. It has been there for a while, and I decided to just experiment on it and was shocked with how it turned out.

Part of working with colors in art is the way color makes us feel and the mood or effect it creates in a visual composition. Taking note of the definite color compositions highlighted in this series, how does it amplify the intended purpose of this project?

The color scheme used in my paintings was not the same in all the pieces but there are more orange and shades of brown which tend to represent the African skin tone mostly. I also experimented with using monochrome colors which turned out great.

Is there any quote/inspirational message that motivates you, you hold dearly, resonates with, or holds you accountable for the fulfillment of your creativity?

“Most great art is freedom within form. Without form, we are amateurs, without freedom, we are robots.”

Donald Miller.

So, John, the concept of naming this series “In pursuit of freedom” and the set of artworks produced in line with it, what inspired this work?

The inspiration for this series of works came from searching for my freedom to express the way I wanted to, and the way that made me feel contented. There’s a stereotype that I hate that artists must really suffer to be able to create good art. I personally don’t believe that is accurate. One should chase their own freedom first and do what represents you and automatically people will love it.

As a young artist and having received a series of exposure, what are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?

I believe that as an artist you should keep working on different styles and techniques and not limit oneself to one. Just experimenting more and creating artworks that have more creative energy than creating photo realistic paintings.

Artist Biography & Statement.

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