Contemporary African Art by John Mubiru.

Mubiru's modern works of traditional and contemporary African art are influenced by his childhood. Born in post colonial Africa plagued with power struggles in his native Uganda and the African continent, he ended up settling in the United States. "Africa is in transition" he says "that is why I'm so fascinated by cultures that have stuck to our old ways of life. When I look at the Massai, Karamajongo and other nomadic African tribes, I feel a link to our simple way of life that is no more". His striking tribal motifs and scenery evoke the essence of African culture and life, vibrant, colorful and alive. His use of a palette knife, blunt paint brush and thick oil application technic gives his work almost a three dimensional feel.

Batik influence.

Mubiru has not always worked in oils. He started out working in Batik. This process utilizes dyes applied to cloth, cotton or silk using wax as a blocker. "I use wax as a blocker. The paint doesn't go where the wax is. I start from light to dark dyes. I will apply lets say yellow then block the parts that I want to stay yellow with wax, then apply blue to get greens as so on..." Mubiru learned this technique from exiled Ugandan artists while leaving in Kenya. By default batik has always been an experimental art form, for a creative artist like Mubiru the sky is the limit. He took it to the next level, with muted earth tones, one of the techniques he developed is particularly effective in a series of works inspired by ancient African art and rock paintings. The work took on a jagged series of lines, similar to cracks on a rock face.

Oil Paintings and current works.

While Mubiru's strong figurative style and a earth tone color palette draws strongly from his earlier batik style, his application of color doesn't. He mostly uses a blunt brush and palette applying the color in bold and often thick strokes. His light play has an amazing effect on his work, giving his subject matter a larger than life feel. Most of his paintings are now available in large gallery pieces and smaller field studies. Some select works are also available in affordable giclees and limited edition prints.