expressive landscape

Between Transience & Infinity

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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

 

© Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

 

Wild Fig Tree

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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

The Irony Of Joy

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Where is the anger that lights me up

The pain the inspires me

The ache that keeps me awake

The tears turned to ink that I may pour out more poetry

My eyes a dry like a stream that ceases to flow

He kisses me gently

He holds my hand while we walk

And he makes sweet love to me

And now, I am happy

But my words are lacking due to the drought of pain

Where is the hurt that makes me make art

I have lost it all to love

The irony of joy

©Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

“The Haven”…. Where I Find Peace

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“In Peace and Love” by Nina Fabunmi, oil on canvas 30×40″

You are all cordially invited to my solo art exhibition “The Haven” which will be on from Feb 16 – April 9th .

Opening reception will be on Friday Feb 19th 2016 at Atelier Gallery, Academy of Art University, 79 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105

My paintings capture the energetic splendor, peace and serenity of the Bay Area and the diversity of its people. I am an artist born and bred in Africa, now living and working in San Francisco. Each day I wake up in this beautiful city, I consider it a blessing, a privilege and an honor. San Francisco has become my haven thus when I see beauty and I consider it my artistic duty to capture it.
I have a Bachelors degree in Real Estate, and spent years working in Estate Management, Banking, Broadcasting and Telecommunications all in an effort to seek the fulfillment I always had. I finally retuned to my artistic skills and decided to step it up a notch by embarking on a Masters Degree in Fine Art- Painting at the Academy of Art University (AAU): a decision that positively changed my life. Each moment I spent in a classroom full of like minds, painting from a live model, a photo, plein air painting on the beautiful mountains and beaches of the Bay or just working in my studio, I consider my haven. I am now a graduate and a member of faculty at the AAU; it is an environment that gives me a sense of satisfaction. I am addicted to making art, I see things differently and each day I navigate this gorgeous city or come across an interesting person, I am always thinking of what a great painting the view in front of me will make.
My emotionally charged expressive technique is primarily derived by the use of a palette knife. I paint, paste, scratch, drip, sprinkle and splatter to build layers of texture in order to include details of an unspoken account. I sometimes include symbols and mark making as a tribute to my African Roots.

The Haven is a place, a moment, an emotion, a story, a history, a time in my art in my heart and when I am making art, I am in my safe haven.

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

 

 

Experience Culture Through Portraiture

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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

She Lays and She Ponders

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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

Cliff House by the Sea

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T’was not the cool summer breeze that snuck up on me

Touched me tenderly

Filtering through my clothing

Tossing my hair to the obedience of the wind

No, it wasn’t

T’was not the calming sound of the rolling waves

Rocking back and forth

Lacing the ocean line with seashells, strange blue jelly fish and crabs astray

Not the kiss of the mid day sun

Shinning down with gentle warmth

Causing the sea to shimmer

A horizon with a silver lining

It looked like precious platinum

How could it be?

Lovely scenery, yes

The beauty of nature, magnificence

Bringing with it with it, peace and serenity

Not even that…..

T’was the presence of the one who made it complete

Holding hands, we strolled by the shore

We left our footprints in the sand

We let the water wash our feet

We made snapshots to define our bond

Watched by the cliff house by the beach

We waited to bid the sun good bye

It gently descended into the sea

And glazed the skies in a violet rage

It looked like the fire the burns between us

The wind became chilly

And we held each other through the scenic makeover

By the Cliff house by the sea

“Breeze Across Cliff House”, oil on canvas, 6″ x 6″, 2014  is at Studio Gallery SF, 1641 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94109, http://www.studiogallerysf.com

http://www.ninafabunmi.com