Johnobafemi

My original paintings are rooted in my need for self-discovery and expression. I frequently use jazz themes and blues icons, as they are art forms that have historically confronted some of society’s most serious questions. The complementary relationship between music and the visual arts provide pathways that push our culture away from the hollow celebration of self-serving rhetoric and toward a life sustaining reality. My technique involves combining a variety of wet and dry mediums. I like the concept of merging painting with drawing and enjoy mark making. The use of colorful free lines and marks are key visual elements in my work and provide avenues for expressionistic mix media paintings. From beginning to end, the process of bringing shapes, lines and colors together to the point where a work of art is born is quite challenging yet magical and mysterious

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"Weavers of Zion"

“Weavers of Zion”

“Zion Weaver”John Obafemi JonesCollage on canvas 2021 8”x10” $125.00 Two thousand years of history (History)Could not be wiped away so easilyTwo thousand years of history (Black history)Could not be wiped so easily (Could not be wiped so easily)                                                         Lyrics from  Zion Train by Bob Marley  This collage represents the power of the African…

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HAPPY HOLIDAY

John Obafemi Jones“Rise” 2020Acrylic with collage on canvas72” x 24” $2500.00 Season greetings and happy new year to all, and welcome to the first edition of my new blog. Every month I’ll be talking about what I’ve been up to, sharing a behind the scenes looks at my creative processes as well as bit and pieces of my creative life. Lastly, I will like to say the holiday season is simply a time…

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“Balance” “Balance” 2018 18”x 24” mix media on canvas $500.00 After successfully  battling cancer for a year, surviving  2 cat 5 hurricanes within  weeks apart,  then 4 months of no electricity as well as the on going  FEMA,SBA and home owner Insurance red tape. I can say I’m still here, I’m still standing strong and I thank the creator for the strength to create.

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“Drumming Buddies” “Drumming Buddies” 2016 John Obafemi Jones Acrylic on canvas “10 x 20” $ 400.00 In New Orleans some of the best musicians in the city can be found playing out on the streets.

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Ritual and Remembrances

“ClarksDale Juke” John Obafemi Jones 2015 Acrylic & Oil sticks on canvas “16 x 20” $400.00

The above painting “Clarksdale Juke” is a visual interpretation of the “Clarksdale Moan” a blues song recorded by Delta blue musician Son House. The “Clarksdale Moan” 78 is considered the Holy Grail of lost blues recordings and continued to elude collectors.

Clarksdale, Mississippi is the birthplace of…

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“Fire Down There: Uncompromising Expressions of Sounds and Color”

“Fire Down There: Uncompromising Expressions of Sounds and Color”

“Fire Down There: Uncompromising Expressions of Sounds and Color”.

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“Fire Down There: Uncompromising Expressions of Sounds and Color” “Fire Down There: Uncompromising Expressions of Sounds and Color” The next solo exhibition of new paintings by prolific St.

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“Fire Down There: Uncompromising Expressions of Sounds and Color”

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"Bamboula Queens"

“Bamboula Queens”

Bamboula Queens 2014 John Obafemi Jones 14″x10″ Pastels $400.00

  “Get Up Offa That Thing” 2014 John Obafemi Jones 14′ x10″ Pastels $400.00

Historically Bamboula dancers were the queens of the community, the keepers of the ancestral ways, the fire under the coal pot. They acted as a cloak of hope against the cold of enslavement of a people aimed at severing all ties of the African homeland. In…

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Answering the Call or Finding the Courage to Create?

Answering the Call or Finding the Courage to Create?

“The Entertainer” 2014 24″ x 48″ $3000.00

“Blessed is he that has found his work! Let him ask no other blessedness.”—Thomas Carlye

For one reason or another most people are generally afraid to become that which they glimpse in their most perfect dreams. In those quite moments when we envision ourselves living up to our fullest potential we experience happiness, joy and excitement. Yet the…

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Creating Tension to get Attention

Creating Tension to get Attention

“Spiritual” Mix Media 36″ x 72″ 2010

  Tension is an underlying fundamental principle of art. When I listen to some of my friends disgust music theory they sometime speak of tension. They talk of chord tension, harmonic tension and so on. The principle of tension is at the heart of music, but it is tension that gives substance to storytelling, visual art, and most creative endeavors. Tension can…

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“LaBega’s Carousel” : the Fine Art of the Double Entendre

“LaBega’s Carousel” : the Fine Art of the Double Entendre

“LaBega’s Carousel” 2014, 40″ x 60″,Acrylic, enamel and oil sticks $ 5000.00

The above painting is entitled “LaBega’s Carousel”. The inspiration for this painting is rooted in my admiration for the late great musician and U.S. Virgin Culture bearer James “Jamesie” Brewster. Mr. Brewster was a master at his craft and worked tirelessly to make Quelbe synonymous with Virgin Islands culture.

  Quelbe…

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"The Bamboula Dance: Dance of Freedom, Dance of Identity"

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Bamboula Dance 2014 24′ x 40′ Mix Media $3000.00

The Bamboula is a dance, music and drumming tradition brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans. The art form is a dramatic dance of rebellion and determination. The Bamboula dance utilizes the concept of polyrhythm as well as total body articulation. Dancers fully engage their feet, shoulders, waist, hips and breasts. Performed mostly by…

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Divergent Thinking: Creative Gobbledygooking “The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it's not without doubt but in spite of doubt"  Rollo May…

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DIY: American Visor

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Music and the Visual Arts: the harmonious union of the language sounds and images

Music and the Visual Arts: the harmonious union of the language sounds and images

Music and the Visual Arts: the harmonious union of the language sounds and images.

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