Today we’d like to introduce you to Amah Dongo.
Hi Amah, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I originally started in fashion design after I graduated from Parsons, The New School in Design. I shifted really a little a bit before the pandemic in what I call my own metamorphosis. A theme I would later embark on. I went through a deep moment of reflection which was when I started to paint in 2019. As crazy as it sounds, my hands understood the paintbrush and the canvas. As time went on, I developed my own stylistic technique. I wasn’t taught how to paint in school though I knew the fundamentals of art through design. I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing, but I did it anyways, nor did I understand at the moment what was happening until a bit later. As I started to post on social media not thinking much about it, one by one the paintings started to sell, and I soon later created an identity through the art of colors, shapes, and subconscious. I would later create an offspring brand called Art Creation Design which was a more commercial to the artworks. Through this creative process, I moved away from my experience in fashion and design and really found a place in the art to express myself more freely. This really came from my own self-growth in a moment where I wanted to carve a path of creativity and expression. In the early stages, I often wondered wait how did I get there. But to be honest, it was step by step and embracing the process.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are definite challenges to being an artist, of course! In a way, I tell people it is a sort of aware madness to do something you love knowing it may not result in anything. But it’s not why we really do it. We do it out of something much more internal, and it liberates us in a way. And as romanticized as it sounds, love and passion do a lot to progress. The pandemic definitely shifted how we see art, but I also think it was a breakthrough for the ability for people to find their internal creativity and to think outside the box. The struggles to keep the financial maintenance upfront, and I had lived in New York City before moving to Houston. All across the board, there were many changes to how business was done. And especially for emerging artists, it was a bit of simply not stopping when many things were stopping. I don’t plan on stopping the art, and the challenge is always to put the ideas cohesively and keep finding the right projects and working with the right businesses, galleries, and organizations. I think artists are their own business in many ways and are branded by their art identity and communication of what they want to contribute to the media.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
One of my greatest strengths is how I interact with colors. I can sense them, see colors people cannot and can infuse light. In a way, I feel like a scientist because I am working with fundamentals which are shapes and colors. And I’m continuously manipulating it. I really work with a sense of controlling those two aspects and weaving my subconscious to a conscious light. I paint and mix the colors and layers throughout the whole process, creating an image in the end. So, for me, I can tell the difference between 50 greens. I often have different lights in my studio because I see so much, and often my friends come to me to get color matches. I really think my gift of using colors goes into decorating, design, and art, and I definitely
Any big plans?
I am currently in the studio and expanding my artwork while using textile along with the paintings. I have a couple of public art projects in the work. I am currently working on the 50th biennial celebration of La Pyramide in Abidjan, Ivory Coast which is the 50th year of celebrating brutalism in architecture. But it is also quite an honor to do it with other artists in my native home country.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amahstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acd_ny/
Image Credits
Katelyn Kopenhaver
