The Odyssey of art and evolution.
Art like life is a journey of constant evolution. As far as I can recall I've always gravitated towards art, in school I was that kid who would skip over the written pages and focus on the pages with imagery, at home, I used to get on my parents' nerves because I used to make a mess each time I'd draw. In this journey, as a kid I used to draw a lot of cartoon characters I'd see on t.v or in books eventually I expanded my drawing to include my surroundings things such as; houses, animals, trees, cars, etcetera though I did enjoy drawing I wasn't quite content. As I got older, I continued drawing but limited myself to that which I was accustomed to. As artists, we are oftentimes inspired by the works of other artists. I recall when I first came across the artistic genius of my fellow comrade and Brotha Kevin Rashid Johnson (Rashidmod.com) his style of using art to tell a story and/or educate was something that deeply resonated with me, this encounter came at a time that I was also becoming politically conscious, inevitably I then shifted my focus from what I had limited myself to drawing and begun challenging myself to draw and create images which depicted themes of struggle and oppression and images of those who organized against oppression and content which was empowering. Initially, I wanted to give up on this style and stick to what I was accustomed to because I felt that drawing images paying homage to people who fought and gave their lives to make others better was too great of responsibility, but when I'm passionate about something, I have always been one who put all my energy into it until I got it right plus I was confident the more and more drawing I did the better I would get and I did. Although I can draw and create an image that comes to mind, themes of struggle and oppression, revolutionary figures, and empowerment are what I find to be my best work. However, when I produce this kind of art I not only want it to be aesthetically pleasing to where it'll catch your eye and provoke your emotions I also want it to be educational to were seeing my art can trigger one curiosity into wanting to learn about a particular figure or the depiction of the struggle. Often times the only materials I have access to are a small flimsy pen and typical typing paper. Given the lack of access to art material, creativity certainly comes in handy. We cannot purchase crayons or colored pens or pencils but as one would notice, some of my art has various colors included, those colors derive from magazines or M & M's yes the candy. We also cannot purchase glue which would be helpful when making cards, since we cannot purchase it, when I make cards I tend to use creamer, yes coffee creamer, take about 3 spoons of creamer and literally add a couple of drops of water and stir until ready to use. As for the embroidered pieces I've made, I use string from the knit hats solids on the commissary, I've even included an empty bag of chips with my art, There's a saying that "Necessity is the mother of invention" certainly apply in this case. I don't consider myself an accomplished artist,I think that phrase sounds as though one had reached a goal or their achievement as an artist, similar to life, art is about growth and evolution which I'm steady trying to find ways to evolve and grow not just as a person but also my art. Throughout this journey my art has always evolved in time, the artist I was as a kid is not the artist I am now and by examining my art on my Instagram page one can see the evolution of my art how the older pieces look vastly different from the recent one but yet still has that distinct personalized style. We all have various hobbies but most hobbies tend to fade in time, art is timeless you can start drawing or painting from 9yrs old all the way to 90 yrs old. I truly appreciate art for many reasons but I think if I had to choose only one it would have to be that it allows you to continuously challenge your creativity with no limit, even the sky isn't the limit, but oftentimes I tend to challenge myself to create
and/or draw something unique to the point of exhaustion, I think that's because I'm a driven and determined person, once I set my mind to an objective I have to see it through. As for how I would describe my art; pain, struggle, silliness, love, hope, empowerment, liberation, revolutionary, and education. When people see my art I want them to feel or think so I try to draw imagery that will capture and hold their thought and emotion, especially when I draw something that reflects social injustice. Other than art being a hobby I enjoy,I also love to share my art with others, when I send my family, comrades, and friends art, I love the process of creating art imagery which I know the people I send it to will love it. Just hearing the joy my art brings to them when they receive it that feeling is indeed reciprocal as it also gives me joy, sometimes I'll do half of an art project and send it to a friend so that they may do the other half to make it a whole complete piece, I love doing that because its collaborative art. My ultimate goal when it comes to art I would love to do a huge mural in a public space. Since the beginning of time, art has always played a critical role in society and it has also been a way of telling stories, in fact, Afrikan and indigenous ancestors certainly used art to tell their stories and of their existence, artistic imagery which has lasted for centuries, which highlights why art isn't optional its more than necessary. Dare to struggle, Dare to win! All power to the people! Peter Kamau Mukuria Comrade Pitt Instagram @ pittpanther_art