Mtwapa Prow
Oils on Wood
2005
140x80x20cm
£2000 inclusive of freight
Notes
I found this large prow piece in Mtwapa Creek just North of Mombasa it was in a fisherman's shelter and was being used as a seat. This is from an Ngalawa - see notes on Ngalawa Prow - which is a dugout with outriggers - these canoes are narrow and deep in design - and you can see this from the piece. As with most of my work - there is a figure somewhere in the form, it's an abstract piece inspired by nature - itself a natural object.
I love the different plains in this work - like a landscape the sweeping smooth plain of the front - worn by the sea and later by the backsides of fishermen, and the limestone like eroded section at the top left - behind the sharp cliff or shell-like edge. The back section is also very interesting - it has been sliced across to reveal the carving like patterns left by the insects.