Capturing the essence of the Akan folktales that I heard as a child in Ghana is the aim in my current works. Those tales have taken on novel meanings with each new experience that I encounter as an adult. These encounters have allowed me to understand and appreciate the nuances in those very same stories; which used to seem like tall tales to me as a child.

As a Painter and Illustrator, my works deal with very specific and relatable themes drawn from painful first-hand life experiences. And how my understanding of those events is filtered through the traditional tales of my homeland. Those themes include: the ideas and emotions surrounding death, dealing with loss, living life, unnamable pain, unresolved fears of the unknown and seeking meaning.

In the Ghanaian folktales, animals are used as the characters of the stories and so I follow in a similar style with my imagery. The subjects in my works are always animals, usually in their natural forms, that are presented in situations or surroundings that are completely unnatural to them. This is done to force the viewer to question the false realities presented in the image and inquire more of the possibilities of the relationship between the creature and it’s prop or environment.

My goal is to encourage my viewers to truly assess their worlds and be more aware of the duality of the daily human experience.