Surge Of Sadness

July 26, 2016 ninartz Poetry Art, Contemporary, drips, emotional, expressive art, Figure, Figure Painting, love, love poem, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, nude, nude female, Poetry, visual poetry

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So swiftly so suddenly, I feel a surge of sadness

But yet it seemed, a moment ago, that all I had was happiness

My mind has began to wonder again

That which I ended I want to begin

And that which I began, I want to end

For it seems as though, I am coming to my end

I am weary of wallowing in my own confusion

I am sorry for those who once had my submission

For it seems I am as a pendulum rocks

Back and forth and breaking the rocks

That which once held me steadfast in love

I mend and I break and I mend and I break

Shattering the hearts of those I once loved

Loving again until I break

And breaking again yet wanting for their love

And when I have it, I break again

I break again only to begin again

Hearts are shattered and I am battered

Then again comes the surge

The fruit of all that I urge

The surge that makes me begin to purge

Wallowing in my self inflicted unhappiness

In a surge of sadness

©Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Between Transience & Infinity

July 17, 2016 ninartz Uncategorized African, Art, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, expressive art, expressive landscape, love, love poem, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, Poetry, visual poetry

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I feel like I have been putting leaves on a tree

Only for autumn to come take them all down

They were fresh and green

But when the fall came, they turned to orange and burnt umber

Soon they fell to the ground and my tree was without leaves

Like fetching water with a basket

I thought I was counting milestones

But it’s all gone now

Perished with the changing seasons and here I am

Staring at the naked branches of this tree

Wondering if all my labor was worth it at all

I kept the roses he gave me

Once soft and new

I put them in a pretty vase and watered them daily

But it didn’t matter how much water I gave them

They still shriveled with time

I tried to fight transience with infinity

Now I am stuck in the middle still trying to figure it out

Every step closer just keeps me further

Like the leaves on the tree which are no more

Growing again, just to fall back down again

You are like a ghost that ceases to exist

A nightmare I have woken up from

A dream I thought I had

But I am looking up at the tree now and there are no more leaves

The tree is like a figment of my imagination

Time to seek shade under another canopy

That which stands between transience and infinity

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Wild Fig Tree

July 2, 2016July 15, 2016 ninartz Uncategorized abstract, African, Art, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, expressive art, expressive landscape, landscape, love, love poem, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, visual poetry

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Wild fig tree

Roots so deep

Breaking through the boundaries of never ending depths

How still you burrow, further and further

The tree will ever stand so firm

I planted my heart like a seed in the ground

My offering unto you

It hath flourished into an ever-standing tree

With roots that travel forever

You water it with abundant love

The sun hath been generous with its shine

The moon hath guarded it my night

The rain-washed its eternal green leaves to a luster

The roots are so deep

Breaking through rocks

And smashing the worms that get in the way

Our love will last forever

Like a wild fig tree

With roots so deep

Travelling to infinity

The tree stands ever so firm

Like a wild fig tree

©Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Wait Till I’m Dead and Gone

June 23, 2016June 23, 2016 ninartz Uncategorized Art, Contemporary, drips, emotional, expressive art, flowers, Gallery Guichard, love, love poem, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, Poetry, roses, visual poetry

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Wait till I am dead and gone

For the only sure thing in life is death

Keep looking till you find what you’ve always had

You will never find again what you had already found

But by then it will be too late

My spirit will be flying high

Watching over you

Crying with you

Sobbing over your miserable life

My inert corpse will be lying in my grave

My flesh decomposed to manure

My bones burnished and white like the feathers on a dove

Only then will you be able to see through me

My transparency, honesty and absolute devotion to you

But by then it will be too late

You will stumble to my graveyard on your hunch back

Your crapulent bones, your baldhead and your walking stick

I will watch you cry over my tombstone

Longing for the life you should have had with me

And I will grow roses to acknowledge your tears

But by then it will be too late

I will float over you like an angel in heaven

And send a gentle breeze to dry your tears

You will dig your grave beside mine

And long for death to take you away

But it will never come when you want it to

One day you will visit my grave

And will fall right into the one you have dug for yourself

I will be waiting for you in the after life

Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Woman of Substance

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015 ninartz Uncategorized African, Art, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, Figure, Figure Painting, joe crane, love, love poem, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, Portrait, Portrait Painting, skip pas, west coast leather, woman of substance

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An outward expression of inner beauty, that her substance lies in that which is within her, far from what meets the eye. She is a woman of substance.

Available at West Coast leather . Please visit links for more information http://www.westcoastleather.com

http://ninafabunmi.com/events

Experience Culture Through Portraiture

June 2, 2015June 6, 2015 ninartz Uncategorized adrinka, African, Artist Portfolio Magazine, braveheart, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, expressive art, expressive landscape, Gallery Guichard, Iman, Iman Zulu, Joyce Gordon Gallery, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, Portrait, Portrait Painting, Zulu Warrior

Inspired by the Themes of the African Diaspora, my portraits go beyond what meets the ordinary eye by allowing my subjects to experience a culture they may have originally been a part of. I explore human origins by experimenting with adornment and tribal embellishments from several regions. I paint with a palette knife, deliberately creating texture which evokes the emotions of an unspoken account.

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Timid Glory

February 25, 2015February 25, 2015 ninartz Uncategorized abstract, adrinka, African, african children, Art, Artist Portfolio Magazine, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, expressive art, Figure, Figure Painting, Joyce Gordon Gallery, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, Portrait, Portrait Painting

Draped in ‘Adire’ fabric which originated from Nigeria, a place that she comes from but has never been to

Adorned in West African Beads, hair braided in yarn extensions

She reaches out to a culture that she has never experienced

She knows the roots that she has been uprooted from but she is timid for her lack of undrestanding

She has a Calabar name which means glory

She finds a way to be a part of it, though she may be an African in Diaspora

“Timid Glory” 24 x 36 inches, will be featured in my solo show titled ,”Rebirth” taking place at the Joyce Gordon Gallery , 406 14th street, downtown Oakland between Broadway and Telegraph, from March 6 – April 25th. Opening reception is on March 6, 6-9pm.
For more information please visit http://ninafabunmi.com and http://www.joycegordongallery.com

The Innocents

February 23, 2015February 24, 2015 ninartz Uncategorized abstract, African, african children, Art, Artist Portfolio Magazine, children, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, dakar, delta airlines, drips, expressive art, Figure, innocents, lac rose, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, Portrait, Portrait Painting, senegal, the innocents, visual poetry

January 28th, 2013, I was on board Delta airlines trying to return to the U.S. after spending my Christmas in Nigeria. A man was dying on the plane, announcements were made, doctors on board couldn’t save him. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Dakar, Senegal. After 3hours of waiting on the landed aircraft, my fear and panic were soon dissolved by a lovely room in a 5star hotel. The lush of its comfort, the buffet meals and that gorgeous view were not enough to keep me in the Hotel, I had to explore . I made a friend and off we were on a trip in search of Lac Rose. So beautiful it was, lovely warm breeze and a foamy ocean line, never in my life had I seen such a sight , a pink lake so saline that you could float in it. It was a wonderful experience but that was not the highlight of my adventure. On our way back, we got lost and made a stop in the village to ask for directions. The driver came out and shut the door. As he did, three little curious boys scurried to the window and peeked at us. So innocent , so inquisitive, the one in the middle squeezed in to get a view. I was so touched by them , I had to take a picture. They were dusty , walked on bare feet and lived in a little village by the lake. They wore torn clothes and played in the sand. But in their faces, I saw joy and contentment in their simple way of life. In many ways they impacted me. I thought about them all through my trip back , they were on my mind for so long that I had to paint them. They made me appreciate life and have gratitude for little things. This painting is titled “The Innocents”. For me it’s much more than a painting , it’s a symbol of all that these little African boys represent. That you may look at it and find meaning to it . It may speak to you in a different way than it does me. Children are the future of our world, hope and purity, they remind us of our humble beginnings and our origins. “The Innocents” is available at the Joyce Gordon Gallery Oakland, 406 14th Street, between telegraph and Broadway, downtown Oakland, for more information, please visit http://www.joycegordongallery.com and http://ninafabunmi.com

Brave Heart

February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 ninartz Uncategorized abstract, African, Art, Artist Portfolio Magazine, Brave heart, braveheart, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, expressive art, Joyce Gordon Gallery, Nina, Portrait, Portrait Painting, visual poetry

Capturing the heart of a man, the strength in his countenance, the bravery in his stance and the boldness of his glare. I looked into his eyes, the windows of his soul, It told a story. One of a life where he had endured much and still had much to face. I saw strength in him, a spirit so strong. I saw perseverance , hope and good fortune. Perhaps I am wrong, or even right. That doesn’t really matter , but as an artist, I find that in order to paint a portrait piece, there must be something deeper than what meets the eye. So I study my subjects and draw inferences from their facial expression, gestures and the way they carry themselves, I paint what I see. In him , I saw a ‘Brave Heart’.

I want my audience to be able to relate with this, knowing the struggles of life and the strength to go through it with a winning attitude. Despite all odds, we shall remain standing.

‘Brave Heart’, oil on canvas, 30″ x 30″ on sale at Joyce Gordon Gallery which is at …….

406 Fourteenth Street
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 465-8928
Info@JoyceGordonGallery.com

http://www.joycegordongallery.com

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

She Lays and She Ponders

February 4, 2015February 4, 2015 ninartz Uncategorized abstract, African, Art, Artist Portfolio Magazine, Contemporary, Contemporary African Art, drips, emotional, expressive art, expressive landscape, Figure, Figure Painting, Gallery Guichard, Joyce Gordon Gallery, Keahafro, love, love poem, Nina, Nina Fabunmi, nude, nude female, visual poetry

Love! What is my offence?

I am here at my defense

In what way have I erred thee?

You have left me to my loneliness

The air is heavy and still

It’s descended upon me and made me a static

Motionless, awaiting your command

Yet I did all that you asked of me

Gave my body, my heart, my soul to you

You have stripped me and left me bare

Despite all that I share

I am waiting patiently

Believing in you, trusting you

Like a baby in the arms if its mother

But you have kept me in this state

I can’t take a breath without calling out to you

Food is tasteless

Sleep is like labor

You have possessed me

And like the blood that flows through my veins

I cannot live without you

So why then have you done this to me?

I lay and I ponder

http://www.ninafabunmi.com