*I have many projects in the works and will need to wait for them to be released before showcasing them here. If you'd like to hear about them please check out my about/contact page.
The Bush
This is a personal project I worked on for my thesis at Ringling College of Art and Design.
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The Bush is a collection of visuals and designs inspired and based upon the culture of Igboland. The illustrations within depict the folktales, tradition, beauty, and magic of the land and it's people.
My first glimpse of the bush was during a family road-trip in Nigeria as a small child. I saw the mountains and forests and I thought they were so beautiful and magical-looking. My imagination ran wild with the different types of creatures that could live there and the different kinds of adventures we could go on if we ventured into the bush. My curiosity and love for my culture has only ever grown since then, as I learned more and more through reading and listening to my family stories. Through this book, I can hopefully share some of that magic that has inspired me throughout my life. This collection of illustrations is only a small fraction of what my Igbo heritage has to offer through my own interpretation. It is a rich, unique and adaptive, culture that still thrives even today. I hope that my work has shown even a little bit of that magic.
Spirits can appear in many forms. Their depictions vary widely and their appearance is largely determined by the artist's preferred interpretation. However, their distinction is most notably expressed in elaborate headdresses or masks.
Storytelling and the tradition of oration is one of the most important aspects of Igbo culture. Like a lot of cultures around the world,
stories and information were passed down through word of mouth.
Not only was storytelling a major source of entertainment-but a
way for people to explain the world around them. Where does
thunder and lighting come from? Why does the Tortoise
live under the tie-tie palm? These tales paint a colorful
picture of what Igbo people value and how they think.
