AKO SOWAH
“When people see my paintings I want them to see the peace and joy life in africa holds.”
I am from the Accra region of Ghana, my family are from the Ga tribe. I am married with three children. I do not encourage my children to take up painting because I feel artists in Ghana struggle, I do not want my children to face the same struggles I have. I began painting in school in my early 20s, where I learned the basic fundamentals of painting. Over the years I have built up on my skills teaching myself new techniques. I specialise in acrylic painting on canvas. I like painting with acrylics as they dry quickly.
Painting has always been important to me as it’s a way for me to share my culture with people. Through my painting I want to show people what African culture is like. My style of painting includes fine lines, which for me exhibits patience. I believe if you have patience you can draw anything. When I am painting I don't think about time, this allows me to put my all into each piece I create. What is important to me when I create a piece is the colour scheme. Seeing the colours come together and work together for my eyes makes me happy.
My paintings represent my african heritage, when people see my paintings I want them to see the peace and joy life in africa holds. My paintings tell a story about Africa showing families and depicting how the African culture has moved from men having multiple wives to now men having one wife and focusing on his family. A lot of my paintings focus around the river,because here in Africa the river side is a place of congregation where people meet to talk and share gossip. Every painting has a centre focus which tells a story.