Kenya
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Email: sanshiart@yahoo.com
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Biographical Notes: September 2000
41855
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: sanshiart@yahoo.com
Cell: +254 722 609766
Biographical Notes: September 2000
He joined St. Peter’s Mumias Primary School in 1982 and sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in 1989. This qualified him a place at Kakamega high school in 1990; it was at this time that he started getting a strong urge in himself for art. In 1990 he tried his hand and was spotted very fast by Elijah Ongere who was already a painter. On seeing Ongere’s work Shitawah Sande was inspired even more and as a result continued with his studies and sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 1993.
Erick joined Kenya Polytechnic for Graphics Design and Communication Studies between 1993 and 1995. He zeroed in on art and this saw him dispatch his first few pieces at Gallery Watatu and his work received a lot of positive responses from the audience. The gallery, through its director; the late Ruth S. Schanffner advised him to keep up the efforts given that he is a self taught artist.
Shitawah’s work tends to be mystical yet entertaining and attractive. Over the years, he has developed a unique and personalized style that sees colour come shaded in a humble and friendly manner. His works mostly reflect the African Traditional Heritage before the Advent of the Western world’s influence. The Artist seems to be lamenting as to why his Heritage and that of Mother Africa is gradually fading away and its place being overtaken by western idealism.
He has a wide range of techniques which include painting with oil and acrylic on canvas and sandpaper not forgetting the laboriously sought mosaic characterized by very tiny pieces of magazines paper tesserae. The integral part of Shitawah’s creativity could be textured painting on sandpaper; a radical depature from convectional techniques.
The artist owes his respect to the late Ruth S. Schaffner and Bjorn Genberg,a Swedish art lover, whom he says are his mentors. Their guidance and advice has made him keep his style and colour purely African and not aping the advent garde movements that try to embrace Multiculturalism. Erick’s work is coming up very fast with his pieces being sold in Asia, Europe and America.
Shitawah’s work tends to be mystical yet entertaining and attractive. Over the years, he has developed a unique and personalized style that sees colour come shaded in a humble and friendly manner. His works mostly reflect the African Traditional Heritage before the Advent of the Western world’s influence. The Artist seems to be lamenting as to why his Heritage and that of Mother Africa is gradually fading away and its place being overtaken by western idealism.
He has a wide range of techniques which include painting with oil and acrylic on canvas and sandpaper not forgetting the laboriously sought mosaic characterized by very tiny pieces of magazines paper tesserae. The integral part of Shitawah’s creativity could be textured painting on sandpaper; a radical depature from convectional techniques.
The artist owes his respect to the late Ruth S. Schaffner and Bjorn Genberg,a Swedish art lover, whom he says are his mentors. Their guidance and advice has made him keep his style and colour purely African and not aping the advent garde movements that try to embrace Multiculturalism. Erick’s work is coming up very fast with his pieces being sold in Asia, Europe and America.