By Pauline Odhiambo
Ghanaian painter Komla Letsu is an artist with multiple signatures. Many art enthusiasts will immediately notice the striking look of his subjects’ eyes, painted larger than usual and done in a vivid blue colour.
But a closer look at his artworks reveals another signature. A beautiful motif forms the background of many of his paintings, its textured pattern repeated on his subjects’ skin.
“I normally focus on the eyes because eyes are the lens to the soul, and I paint them blue to stand out,” the portrait expressionist tells TRT Afrika.
“For the background, I’ve carved out a stencil on wood and use that with paint to roll onto the canvas.”
Motion pictures
According to Saatchi Arts platform, expressionist artists seek to depict how the world feels rather than how it looks. The goal is to communicate meaning or emotional experience rather than creating a precise likeness of their models.
Many of models in Komla’s paintings are inspired by movies.
Komla will often pause watching a film to snap a quick picture for his painting reference.
Among his latest artworks is one titled ‘Cowboy’ which is inspired by his favourite genre of movies, Westerns.
“Everything in cowboy movies motivates me,” the 37-year old painter states. “I love everything about cowboy movies especially the way they dress and how they go about their lives.”
Collectors’ items
Many of Komla’s acrylic paintings have been bought by collectors.
One of his paintings titled ‘Joyful Ways’ was bought by a collector in Latvia while another collector in India bought a piece named ‘Moments We Share.’
“As an artist you have to have your own unique style that is easily recognsiable even to collectors,” Komla states. “Creating work that is not difficult to distinguish makes artwork relatable to multiple audiences.
Komla says three more pieces were shipped to a collector in the United States but were unfortunately stolen in transit.
“It pains me when I think about that loss because I had hoped that one of those painting would eventually go to auction,” laments the Accra-based artist.
‘Life lessons’
The outcomes of auctions can significantly shape an artist's reputation, career trajectory and overall perception of their work, according to art platform Atreus.
Auctions are also excellent channels for artists to get their work valued and sold at a fair value.
Among Komla’s stolen paintings was one titled ‘Choices’ – the piece he had hoped would eventually be auctioned – which depicts a young woman faced with several options in her life.
“The options in front of her represent the many people who may come into her life,” explains Komla. “Some people may present themselves as pleasant experiences while others are revealed to be bitter encounters.”
“Depending on her choice, each encounter carries vital life lessons,” he adds.
‘See no evil’
Many of Komla’s paintings carry profound, spiritual messages.
Featured thematically in several pieces is the world-famous pictorial maxim embodying the proverbial principle ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’.
“I see this as a guide to having a peaceful life,” Komla tells TRT Afrika. “I believe that if you take your eyes and mind away from everything evil, your ways will be blessed.”
More of paintings are based on similar themes with some like ‘In His Presence’ depicting a specific form of spirituality.
“Seeing many parents raising their children to fear God is quite moving, and that motivates me to paint pieces that capture that reverence.”
Career artist
Komla has been painting at a professional level for 15 years.
He established his studio in 2009 shortly after graduating art school but had realised his talent much earlier at 10 years old.
“In the year 2000, I was creating artwork using crayon and pencil in school,” recalls the artist who, till date, never leaves home without his sketchbook.
“The unfortunate reality is that many people in Ghana still don’t value art. They see it as a lazy man’s work or dirty work.”
‘Gallery standard’
Komla has nonetheless risen above these negative perception to become a successful artist whose works have been showcased in galleries in many parts of Africa as well as Europe and America
But despite his apparent success, the artist says marketing is often a huge challenge even for the most successful artists.
“The artwork I produce is museum and gallery standard but I can’t do art and marketing at the same time,” he tells TRT Afrika. “It’s really painful spending time creating and finishing a piece, and then having to roll and fold it away with the many others that have nowhere to go.”
“I sometimes don’t want to step into my studio because I wonder if the piece I am working on at that moment will meet a similar fate,” he adds. “But I motivate myself by listening to my favourite playlist, and just painting through those doubting moments, trusting that everything will work out.”
His advice to aspiring artists: “Don’t let the dreams you have for your art die, “he concludes. “Just keep on trying until you finally break through.”
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