Boy from Zanzibar
The original painting measured 44 x 42.5 cm. And was painted in Mixed media
I met this boy when we went to watch the traditional Dhow builders near a fishing village on the northern part of the island of Zanzibar. The village was on a beautiful beach with turquoise water and white sand that was unfortunately littered with blue plastic bags.
This young lad had a slightly cheeky, outgoing personality and I knew he would make a great painting subject, however, I had to wait for that slightly unguarded moment to capture his personality in those beautiful eyes and charming smile. This is the second time I have painted this boy.
The textured background is made by pressing Hessian into acrylic medium. The hat was painted on a rough woven cotton fabric that was cut out as a flat pattern , and then glued and sealed before being painted. The hat cord is plaited and painted embroidery cotton. The skin is painted using pastels, and the shirt made by painting on a fine weave cotton fabric. Thus you have five different textures to make this painting and give it that ‘trompe l’oil’ effect
