Artist Description
This work can be removed from the frame for cost effective international shipping in a tube.
Amani (aa-mah-nee) is such a sweet sounding word. When you say it out loud, it rolls off your tongue. As with all the floral portraits, I wanted to convey a certain feeling, a presence, when you look at the piece. I also wanted a title that had African origins, since I am an inhabitant of our great continent, Africa. The word Amani means ‘peace, harmony and tranquillity’ - and the name Amani (an Arabic male name) is a prominent Swahili name, and a unisex name in Africa.
Tranquillity is expressed both in the subject's facial features and through the use of deep blue tones. I love the play between the stark, flat colour blocks and the incredibly detailed floral areas. It is almost as if the busy areas represent our overactive minds and the plain pools of colour, quite focused mindfulness.