ARTIST STATEMENT

 

As an artist I create to serve the world as a whole.
The world I live in and the world from which I come.
The visual world and the literary world
The classic world and the abstract world
The common world and the philosophical world
The adult world and the world of the youth
The material world and the spiritual world
The world of the rich and the world of the poor
A creation to honor and a creation to discourage
A creation for business and a creation for inspiration

Within my realm of talents, I explore and adopt a style, form or medium that suits a specific purpose. I believe that some creativity is better represented in three-dimensional form and some in two, some in realism, and some in different forms of abstractions, and others in writing. Still others are better represented in a combination of two or three different artistic forms or media. Experience has taught me that whenever one limits himself, he limits his own talents.

My years of experience as an artist have been mixed. On the one hand, it has helped me to
mature faster – professionally, socially, politically, and spiritually. On the other hand, my experiences as an artist have been challenging on these same levels. And yet, I believe that these experiences have been God’s way of showering me with different talents. Had it not been for these hard times, I would have concluded my career as only a fine artist or sculptor. Through navigating the challenges of my difficult experiences, I have come to tap hidden talents that I would have otherwise neglected: stained glass design, etched glass design, graphic design,
illustration, calligraphy and creative writings.

Challenging experience as an artist forced the great master, Leonardo Da Vinci, to excel as the most multi-talented artist of all times. Similarly, difficult experiences, as a sculptor, propelled the great master Michelangelo to tower as the Samson of fine arts. As Samson’s riddle goes --- “Out of the eater something to eat; out of the strong something sweet” (Judges 14:14). Now I say --- Out of the tormentor something to create; out of the anguish something to share.

Rather than be boxed in to a stylistic pattern which I see as monotonous, I believe the artist’s body of work should reveal or be assessed by the way he addresses his creative challenges as an individual and the level of craftsmanship with which he executes these tasks to the benefit of humankind --- be it in sculpture, painting, ceramic, graphic design, stained glass or etched glass design, illustration, calligraphy, poetry, etc., etc.

Owusu Ansah
February 9, 1995