landscape

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

Preparing For Another Season

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Winter died when summer came but the trees are yet to recover

Autum arrived, the colors changed, soon the leaves descended

Harmattan in a distant place and yet , on me, the dust descended

Dancing in mud yet praying for rain to wash away the dirt

Rainbow in the sky , it disappeared  and still I chase its shadow

Floating on dreams, swimming in hope and hanging on to faith

Every season demands of me, maleable like an amoeba when will I find my constant

I am bending and breaking, swaying and praying, desperately in need of respite

Finding my place in the world as I watch it go by

Preparing for another season and  reverently seeking a reason

©Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

I am like a Wave

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I am like a wave that’s rocking back and forth, hitting rocks and returning back into the sea

I am a wave rocking back and forth, hitting rocks and running back into the sea

Without the wind, I have no motion

The current continuously pushes me on

Only for me to return back into the sea

I shimmer when the day is come

When the sun shines down on me

I wait for the moonlight to embrace me

That I may twinkle at night too

But one day, I will rock back and forth and tear down the rocks that stand in my way

I will not wait for the sun by day, or the moon by night

I will flow and consume all that is in my path

Till I find that which is meant for me

 

Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

A Drink and a smoke in China Town

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oil on canvas, 30×24 inches, 2015 by Nina Fabunmi

I love China Town for many reasons, there is something very homely and casual about the organic flow of activities there. Fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices sold by people who speak little or no English. The culture is eminent there ; clothes , shoes, jewelry and ornaments, even Chinese toys. Its an amazing little China community right here in the heart of San Francisco.

On this faithful day, the sun was blazing hot, but the cool breeze was soothing and I was amazed at how the lovely shadow shapes added beauty to this place. I made my way through the crowded streets and stopped to stare at whatever caught my attention toads on sale, strange tea, you name it……and then, I spotter this man… he aroused my curiosity in many ways . He was not the typical kind of person you would find in China Town, seemed like he hid under the hood of his beaten leather jacket with his face covered in his long red beard which reminded me of Ire Land. He sat casually , having a soda and a smoke. I liked the way the colors on him glazed under the sun  and how the rays filtered through the redness of his long red beard. I considered it my artistic responsibility to paint him. For me this was a celebration of diversity , of the people and of the land.

This painting is on sale in my solo show “The Haven” at Atelier Gallery, 79 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105 , http://www.aaugalleries.com

During my opening night which happened on Friday the 19th of February, someone asked me what the inscriptions on the wall meant….. only then did I realize that I never even tried to decode it.  I know now that knowing this would definitely add more to the story.

If you can read the writing on the wall, please post a comment with its meaning.

Thank you

 

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

 

 

 

Above & Beyond

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When I got to the top of that steep hill, through the twisted and winding street adorned with flowers and amidst the people who ventured the same quest, the view was very rewarding. It literarily took my breathe away.

“Above and Beyond” oil on canvas , 30×30 inches is currently featured in my solo show  “The Haven” from Feb 16th – Apr 9th at Atelier Gallery, 79 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105,

Tele :415-618-6305

“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

 

 

My Heart Will Go On and On

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“The man with a suitcase” whom I have fallen so deeply in love with. Yesterday he knocked on my door but was welcomed by the echoes that bounced back from my empty nest. He had his suitcase with him and once again he had returned to me, but I was not there. I was lost, lost without him. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I was choking in my own words that stabbed me like daggers piercing through my fragility. I was wandering into oblivion, like a mad man chasing a void, but I was rescued by the wings of love; an emotion that had tortured me continuously yet rescuing me from my self-destructive self. Love lifted me and took me to my doorsteps. I looked on the floor and saw the tracks of his suitcase; I took a breath and smelt his essence. I melted to a pulp, had I lost him again? I followed the tracks of his suitcase and it lead me to the grounds where I had buried my beating heart in a jar, waiting for the right one to make it his treasure.

My heart in a jar was gone. My treasure all dug up. Had he reclaimed it once more? Had he been lost without it? How did he know where to find it?

So I followed the tracks of his suitcase as they lead me away from the grounds where I had buried my beating heart in a jar. The trail lead me straight back to him. I was shaking, eyes teary, head splitting. I rested my head on his chest, he drew me close and I heard the beating of my heart inside of his. In that moment, I felt whole again. He comforted me, stroked me, wiped away my tears, and whispered sweet words to me. We stood under the moonlight like two lovers who had nowhere to go but to each other. Stars twinkled in the deep blue skies like angels up high singing a praise. I am home again; my home is in his heart, in the heart of ‘the man with a suitcase”. My heart will go on and on.

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Serenade me

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The sound of the ocean waves rocking back and forth at the beach, smacking against the rocks they mould with each wave like a rhythmic dance to their own tunes and underneath the red fortress of the Golden Gate Bridge.  I have been serenaded by the music of the sea.

This is my latest tiny piece. I find a lot of peace in painting the beaches that surround me in this beautiful Bay Area which I am so blessed to be in.

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