The Sojourn

 

THE SOJOURN

The collection portrayed herein reflects the artistic expressions of selected works over a period of 50-years.  These captivating pieces reflect the extraordinary talent, distinctive creativity, and uniquely moving experiences of this distinguished artist.  These pieces speak worldwide to both novices and devoted art enthusiasts in the universal language of artistic expression.

The name KWESI (coy-see) is Ghanaian and means "Sunday's Child". Although Kwesi was "born Black" in the southern region of the USA.  He, like most African-Americans, had no historical knowledge regarding his African ancestry.  It was only later, as an international graduate student that he discovered his roots in Ghana.  His ancestry includes 72% Bantu, at which point he realized why the name "KWESI" was such a natural fit for him.

Kwesi, an American artist, currently based in Winston-Salem, NC.  He has drawn inspiration from his travels around the world, including Africa, Europe and Asia, as well as throughout North America.  He has visited numerous locations around the globe, which are geographically, culturally and historically symbolic in his artwork.  He has walked among the slave castles of West Africa.  He has experienced the bustling cities of Tokyo and Hong Kong.  He has perused the artifacts of the national museums of Europe.  He has visited the court of the Mona Lisa at Le Louvre.

Kwesi is often asked questions about his artwork, such as,  Why do you draw/paint?  Who are your greatest influencers?  What is your style?  He responds, "I am on a lifelong search for meaning.  I paint because it is magical! Picasso said it best:  Painting isn't an aesthetic operation;  it's a form of magic designed as a mediator between this strange, hostile world and us." As a child, Kwesi remembers "stained glass church windows" and drawing my first landscape, when I was 12-years old.."    He was later mentored by master art teacher, Larry Gluck of Mission Renaissance in Los Angeles, CA.   Kwesi artwork is most associated with the Post Impressionism, Realism and Figurative art periods.  The works of Van Gough help establish a style that allowed for "impasto" those longer/thicker paint strokes as seem in "Starry Nights".

Kwesi noted, "We want to paint the Light, so all might see its beauty.  We are here for only a moment, all sojourners, as our fathers were.  Our days on earth are like a shadow, gone without a trace.  So, let us spread Peace, Love and Happiness all our days.....

Reggie Smith/KWESI