T_Willis Art 475 (490): November 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Mecha Anansi the Trickster

MECHA ANANSI THE TRICKSTER

Tara Willis

11" x 17"

Anansi/Ananse the Spider is a spider-man who is believed to be from the Ashanti group in Ghana. I remember reading about him either in high school or some time in college. The story goes by Anansi wanting to buy the sky god's stories. However the sky god told him in order to do so Anansi would have to capture a python, a leopard, a fairy, and a hornet. Anansi did just that and the sky god rewarded him with the stories.

*Eidt, Jack. "Ashanti of Ghana: How Spider Obtained the Sky-God's Stories." Wilderutopia.com. 31, July 2013. Web http://www.wilderutopia.com/traditions/myth/ashanti-of-ghana-how-spider-obtained-

the-sky-gods-stories/

Lightning

LIGHTNING

Tara Willis

11" x 17"

Adinkra Symbol used:

Boa Me Na Me Mmoa - Cooperation
http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/list.htm

It was a bit trick which symbol I thought went best with lightning. I chose Boa Me Na Me Mmoa because when I think of cooperation, I think of the lightning bolts in the picture above cooperating with one another to become more powerful.

Wind

WIND

Tara Willis

17" x 11"

Adinkra Symbol used:

Aya- Endurance and resourcefulness
http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/list.htm

I thought Aya was an excellent symbol to put in "Wind". Since it is a fern, I think about ferns blowing in the wind.

Shipwreck

SHIPWRECK

Tara Willis

17" x 11"

"Shipwreck" has a darker story. The undead merman is actually the vengeful spirit of a captured slave.

While being held below deck on the slave ship he would hear the cries of his wife, who was being raped by the captain. Eventually the wife died and the captain had her thrown overboard to become shark food. The poor slave was so broken hearted he too died and was thrown overboard. But moments before his death, he swore he would return from the grave and take his revenge on that ship.

A few years later when that same ship was on its way back to Africa to capture more slaves, the slave rose from the dead, swam to the surface and attacked the crew. He murdered every last crew member who tried to get in his way. Then he went to the captain's quarters. Even though it has been years since her death, the slave could still hear her blood-curdling cries. He found the captain hiding in the wardrobe. The captain tried to plead for his life, but the slave stabbed him in the throat killing him instantly.

He was not done, though. He smashed a lantern on the floor and the entire room was up in flames. He jumped back in the water and watched the ship burn until it finally sank. With his wife's death avenged, the slave went back into the sea where he could finally sleep in peace.

Water

WATER

Tara Willis

17" x 11"

Adinkra Symbol used:

Denkyem- adaptability
http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra/denk.htm

One reason I picked Denkyem for "Water" was because I thought the symbol was a turtle (it's actually a crocodile). Another reason I picked it is when I think of adaptability, I think of adapting to water.

Living Fertility Statue

LIVING FERTILITY STATUE

Tara Willis

17" x 11"

"Living Fertility Statue" was inspired by some old African dolls my parents collected over the years. The story in this piece is a group of pregnant women praying at the giant fertility statue which happens to be alive (hence the title). These women pray that their babies will be born healthy.

Maple Forest

MAPLE FOREST

Tara Willis

17" x 11"

Maple Forest's story is about an unnamed woman who can grow golden flowers by simply touching anything. You can see golden flowers growing as she sits in the grass.

When I think of the word Maple, I think about browns and golds which is how my piece got its name.

Mother Night

MOTHER NIGHT

Tara Willis

17" x 11"

The idea for "Mother Night" came to me when I was reading the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. When reading about the Egyptian sky goddess Nut (Nuit), I liked how the book described her skin. Nut arching her body over the world to form the heavens

Nut arching her body over the world to form the heavens

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/nut.html

In "Mother Night" the story goes by Mother Night raising the moon for her husband Father Day, and her children Son Land and Daughter Sea to go to sleep.

I meant to do pieces of her husband and children, but I was so busy coming up with other ideas for my senior show I never got to it. Whenever I have the time I plan on working on it in the future.

Fire

FIRE

Tara Willis

11" x 17"

Adinkra Symbol used:

Aban- Strength, authority

http://paris.cs.wayne.edu/~bb0692/adinkra%20symbols.html

I decided use the symbol Aban for my "Fire" since one of its meanings is strength. I believe fire has a lot of strength; so when I was drawing the woman, I wanted her to have a very strong pose.

Earth

EARTH

Tara Willis

11" x 17"

Adinkra Symbol used

Asase Ye Duru - Divinity of Earth

http://www.stlawu.edu/gallery/education/f/09textiles/adinkra_symbols.pdf

I was originally going to add the symbol Aya to my "Earth" piece since it was a fern. But after researching the adinkra symbols, I found that Asase De Yuru relates closest to my piece because of its meaning.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Research for Adinkra Symbols

After reviewing my work for the Senior Art Exhibition, my professors thought it would be a good idea to add a guide for the Adinkra symbols I used in my paintings. So I looked at the old work I have done and drew the symbols I have used in a notepad to look up later.

Some of the websites I searched did not have the symbols I used in one site (for example Aban). The meaning of the symbol Aban and its meaning was extremely hard to find.

http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm