Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Artist's Studio & Workshop.


The Artist's Studio & Workshop.


After 35 years of jewelry designing and lost-wax casting, I have returned to my first love, oil painting and photography.”



 
REMINISCING BRONZEVILLE
18” x 24” oil on canvas.
Bronzeville Reminiscing
Oil on Canvas

 
"Cooling Out”
Oils on Acrylic on Poster-Board
22 x 28 inch
(Musicians inserted collage)

 
Making Fufu.
14 x 17 inches
Mixed medium on paper
Accra (Abeka) Ghana 1969

 
Night Owl
Oil on Acrylic on Poster Paper,
15.1/2” x 27 inches

 ... Still Life
16” x 20” 
Oil on Canvas

 Afro-Peruvian Dancers
Oil on Acrylic Painting on Poster-Paper
22” x 26” mounted on 25” x 30”

 Village Vendor
Framed, 18 ½ “ x 23 ½ “
Oils On Canvas


“Here, Take Me With Mines”
18” x 25” mounted on 25” x 30” Frame
Oil on Acrylic Painting on Poster-Paper

N The Moment
Oil on Cardboard
12” x 16”


... Desert Flower
Oil Acrylic on Poster-Paper
15" x 22 inches

Stood-Up
      Oil on Acrylic on Canvas:  20” x 16”



View From Verandah
      Oil on Acrylic on Canvas:18” x 24”



Mame Make Babe Clean
Oil On Poster
Oil on Acrylic on Poster Paper,
15.1/2” x 27”


 
Working Out
Oil on Acrylic on Canvas Board
20” x 17 inches



Eartha Kitts
(Last performance)
24 x 20 inches
Oil on Acrylic on poster-board.
This performance was held at the Northwestern University School of Law, in Chicago, Illinois.


 The Aftermath
30" x 30"
Collage on poster paper



Something Cool 
16" x 20"
Oil On Canvas

 
The Orchid Grower
Oil on Acrylic on 14” x 14” board.

 
"Osu In Bermuda"
Oils on masonite fiberboard
32” x 48 inches
“Osu's a section of Accra Ghana.”



Journalist - HistoryMaker.
Oils on Acrylic on posterboard
22”x27 inches


 
Making Fufu.
14 x 17 inches
Mixed medium on paper
Accra (Abeka) Ghana 1969

 
It Be JuJu Yo
Oil on Canvas
16” x 20 inches



KoCoa
Oils on posterboard
10” x 19 inches


The Steppers
18" x 18"
Oils on Canvas
********************

Sincerely,

Curtis Kojo Morrow
Artist, Author, Photographer.


Kojomanc@gmail.com
Online Galleries:>  http://mysankofa2012.artspan.com/


******

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Sunday, September 1, 2013

My GENEALOGIC.

I wasn’t aware of “Genealogic” before going to Africa. It’s meaning was a complete mystery to me. I knew only that my ancestors originated from Africa, & thanks to my grandfather for that. My interest at the time of my going there, was mainly adventures & revolutionary, as it was others African-Americans living there at the time. So when I was adoptive my a tribe, (the Ashanti) I can’t say I took it very serious, until I began to look closely at the people around me.. And one of the wises thing I took with me to Africa, was pictures of my father, uncles and most of all, my grandfather. Which made it possible for the Ghanaian to connect me with a tribe, in my case the Ashanti.



Long story-shorten, it was somewhat frightening, when I was Initiated..
 Excerpt,  MY SANKOFA; (page, 56)

When the four of us reached Agogo, which was in the bush, there was a great celebration in the chief's house which was officially known as "The Palace." Now it was my turn to meet the Agogo-hene. After receiving us first with water, as is the custom, we were served with a refreshing drink of palm wine. During this time the story of our journey was translated to the chief. When this was done, the chief again welcomed us and called me before him. I was introduced to him by Joe Vroom, who acted as our translator. When he finished, I shook the chief's extended hand and thanked him for his hospitality. He was glad to see us and anxious to get started on our project.

We arrived shortly after breakfast by way of Kumasi. Noticing it was just 8:00 a.m., the Agogo-hene entourage, my traveling companions, and I decided to travel to the end of the road that was in need of repair. There was a little farming
village called Nimato-Kolo, and there we ate our lunch. There I was adopted into the Ashanti tribe by Nana Kwaku Duah, Agogo-hene, and his elders.

The ceremony was short and somewhat caught me off guard. We were gathered in a small compound. This included the chief, eight of his elders, and well over one hundred people from the surrounding area who had come on hearing their chief was visiting their village with Black strangers from America. Many of them had never seen Africans who had been born in America, although they had heard there were some descendants of former slaves. They were eager to see and welcome us.

"Here! Here you foolish people! Your chief is about to speak! Listen there!" It was the Chief Linguist getting our attention.



Nimato-Kolo & My Initiation

"Shhh! Hey! Hush your mouths!" I heard people whispering among themselves. Everyone was in a jovial mood for never had any chief adopted an American of African-descent in their village (it was something like a holiday). I was called to stand before the chief and elders.

"Today my people, another one of our ancestors has returned to the land of his ancestors, our ancestors, his tribe, our tribe, his family, our families."

So saying, the chief took a proffered cup of schnapps. After taking a small sip, he held it toward the hot sunny sky momentarily, then poured a little on the earth.

"To the Supreme-Being and spirits of our ancestors, I pour libation and welcome Kojo-Achampong, into our midst to become one of us. As of this day all doors shall be open to him and all hearts. We must teach him the ways of our ancestors, which are his ancestors."

Again he poured some drink to the ground then drank the rest.

At the time I didn't place much importance on the ceremony. My thoughts were, "Where the hell will we sleep tonight? Here in this little village in the middle of the forest or hopefully Kumasi?" I was then introduced to my clan leader, Nana Kwadjo Oteng, Benkum-hene of the Agona clan, which I was to become a member of. He was about my age. (32yrs)  He spoke English fluently and was to become my best friend.

"Now my brother, you must thank the chief and elders," Oteng informed me.

"Nana, Nananom, people of the Ashanti Akim that are gathered here," I began, "I thank you all for the kindness you have shown me this day. And I swear to you and the God of our ancestors that I'll remember the event that took place here
today and honor it all the days of my life. I respect your kindness and consideration. I acknowledge and swear to the spirits of our ancestors that I, Kojo-Achampong, will never disgrace you, my Ashanti people, or Black people, no matter where I go, or what I am called upon to do."

I was given a calabash of palm wine from which I took a drink after offering some to the spirits of my ancestors as the chief had done. A roar of approval went up from the villagers signaling that the ceremony was over...

And I was thereafter known as Kojo-Achampong.