I grew up in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, surrounded by beautiful, colorful geometrical patterns in clothing, hats, and baskets. I especially loved the baskets baskets of all forms and shapes with intricate patterns and deeper meanings. As a result, I have a high regard for the complex use of color in modern art and a deep attraction to geometric color field paintings.
My most recent body of work is best described as pixelated geometric color field paintings. In this series, I reimagine the ancient art of my culture in a new and different way. I use geometric designs and planes on a large canvas to tell a story, as well as blends of color to evoke an emotion. The tension created between the form and color renders the canvas as a three-dimensional field of pixelated color.
Although I have worked with various media, I concentrated on figurative and landscape abstractions in watercolor for a significant portion of my career. I experimented with applying watercolor in many ways to create layers and texture to achieve the look of oil on canvas or pastel on paper.
My goal in my work is to create paintings that engage the viewer intellectually and visually.
Scholarship Award, Northeastern University, Chicago, Illinois
Scholarship Awards, School of the Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois
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