2011

This portrait of Elhadji Koumama was painted in 2011 while he was visiting California. He is an artisan, who creates beautiful silver Tuareg jewelry from Niger. I worked closely with him over the years, when he came here to sell his jewelry. In fact, his work was on display at the deYoung Museum as a featured artist in 2011. I first photographed him and then painted his portrait using acrylic paint. I initially gridded my canvas and worked painstakingly to exact his vibrancy. His eyes, his weathered features and the blue headdress were necessarily important to portray authentically. The border is significant as well as it is a familiar Tuareg design found on leather goods and satchels.