I had painted many years ago, but all the painters I knew were intelectual or academic and had great concepts behind their work, and I never saw myself as that kind of person. What I wanted to paint felt more decorative than interesting. So I gave up and started working with clay and then metal. My approach to both mediums was intuitive and physical, which was more in my nature.
This time however, the freedom I felt knowing this was just an empty space on our wall that I could fill anyway I wanted, made me enjoy the process. That was a few weeks ago, and since then all I have wanted to do is paint.
Here are my first attempts. They are simple graphic compositions, very much influenced by the paintings on mud houses made by the women in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and by the work of Joaquin Torres García, an Uruguayan painter whose work stole my heart when I visited his retrospective during my early twenties.
Showing these paintings feels intimidating. I agree with a friend who said it takes courage to be a beginner. It is uncomfortable to not know where I'm going, or if these pieces will ever evolve to become my own, but I have to start somewhere, so accompany me as I take my first steps.