Art of Taskin

This year has had its ups and downs...trials & challenges,  but overall its been a great year, full of new ventures, adventures & insights! First there was the Dynamix  Art Display at Dynamics Studios in Nairobi, then I had the privelege to have a solo art exhibition in my home town after which was a non profit perfomance and visual creative event in England raising funds for orphans in  Uganda, then ofcourse the first Art Fair in Kenya, bringing various artists from across Kenya and abroad, attracting 10,000 visitors all under one roof.  The year culminated with the Kenya Museum Society, Affordable Art Show where I participated with some of my abstract artworks. This year also brought with it a very humbling moment for me where I was selected by XANADU GALLERY, Arizona U.S.A. to become one of their represented artists.    I take this time to reflect upon the year and thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have contributed in some way or another to making this y

Kenya is having its first ever premier Art Fair!......  celebrating the artworks of various Local and International Artists all under one roof! ........ And some of my artworks will be exhibited @ the Fair...  This is a huge privilege and honour for me & gives me a lot of happiness to know my artworks  have been selected this year for the Kenya Art Fair 2014 ( flyer courtesy of Kuona Trust &  Kenya Art Fair Management Team)                                             Be there to witness it! .... all artworks will be on sale!

NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF KENYA courtesy of KENYA MUSEUM SOCIETY  will be having its ANNUAL AFFORDABLE ART SHOW from 24 - 26 OCTOBER 2014.  Watch out for my abstract artwork on display in addition to the works of several diverse Artists. (funds raised will be used to support and further develop NMK’s Permanent Collection). The gala opening of the Art Show will be in the Courtyard behind the Louis Leakey Auditorium,  Nairobi National Museum on Friday, 24 October 2014 6 pm - 9pm (drinks and refreshments available, all are welcome)...... FREE ENTRY 25 & 26 October 10 AM - 4 PM BE THERE! DON'T MISS IT!

Visual Arts meet Performing Arts in a one of a kind CREATIVE EVENT  @ The Forum, Norwich, England- 13 September 2014 all day FROM 10 AM ONWARDS ..... find live drawing, open mic poetry, a free for all art exhibition showcasing paintings, mixed media and sculpture, dance and music performances by local and international artists and performers....  + See some of my art in the Art Exhibition !                                          VISUAL ART - MUSIC - DANCE - POETRY A Not for Profit Event i n support of SOET Uganda (The St. Mary's Orphans Educational Trust [SOET] - Community based organization working with orphaned and destitute children in Uganda. To find out more about SOET and its projects, to donate or sponsor a child visit : http://www.freewebs.com/soetuganda/ ) The full program for the event is out.. find out more on the performers, speakers and artists participating at the event here : http://thefreespiritnetwork.weebly.com/program.html 

   enter my world of colour and line!.....                                                  Inspired by nature.....Inspired by being free ...... .........It gave me immense honour to be having a Solo Exhibition in my home town, Nairobi. Due to interests, the art exhibit  which was scheduled from 15 August to 29 August was  extended until 14 September 2014. I was glad to have many visit and have many diverse responses.Thank you to all those who attended  & I will be sure to keep in touch with all of you who left your contacts. There are a couple of very interesting events scheduled for the next few months .... Stay connected for news on my upcoming exhibitions & future events coming  very soon near you! Here are some photos from the launch day of the exhibition (19 August 2014) :       Some pictures of paintings as well as guests and myself at the launch of 'Splashes of Nature' - a solo exhibition            

I was humbled and honoured to be invited to take part in 'SeeMe Project' - a global creative project showcasing artworks from across the world in a 24 story high tall art display in Times Square. Some of my artworks including Hidden Rose, Fireworks and Connected World are part of the project.... To make things even more exciting, the organizers are selling T-SHIRTS with artist designs...   If you buy 1 T-Shirt, this will unlock my design to be displayed as part of the Times Square Display. Every T-SHIRT is going for $ 32 only ( one of a kind custom Tee printed front and back, non fading, machine washable, shipped within one week, shipping costs depend on shipping address of course).... To get yours today visit  the site :  https://taskinbutt.see.me/ ( you will see many artwork & designs, choose the one you like and you will get the option to view as original, T-SHIRT or postcard! Pay Online! & Simple.. its on its way!)..... Spread the word... tell you family

As we come to the middle of 2014, I felt it will be great to share with you for those who might be interested in the actual process I take to create some of my landscape paintings... Enjoy!     copyright protected 2015

It is sometimes in those very fleeting moments when a painting it waiting to happen!!!...... The same subjects that interested me when I was growing up are the same I still take interest in painting at present...streams, mountains, valleys, lakes, beaches, garden flowers, lights............ I will be crossing a bridge and notice the reflections in the water, or be on holiday and notice a certain ray of light hit the water, or see a building in a certain position with light beams penetrating the window or just be in back garden and notice a prominent flower whose photo is waiting to be taken to take back to my studio and paint!... It is sometimes these moments that lead me instintively to paint a scene or subject or moment...If those moments are not captured they are gone !!! I have learned, the art is in fact in seeing, observing and acting in the moment...I sometimes contemplate that my style in landscape painting somehow continues to develop with these triggers....evoking a cer

The start of 2014 has certainly enabled me to explore... discover...and learn!!!!..... During the last week of April the family and I visited Aberdares Highlands,  a part of the Great Rift Valley, a half hour drive northeast from Nairobi City in Kenya. It was truely a memorable time and after the short holiday I was down to some painting!!!! From the slope of Mweiga  Hill, in the Aberdare Highlands there are distant meadows and fields visible.  From the slope of Mweiga Hill, the Mount Kenya peak can be seen  between 6  and 7 am while the sun is rising. 'Sun Rises over Mount Kenya' was inspired by the view of the mountain from the very top of the slope at sunrise. It was misty and cold, but the view was truly majestic and watching the sun rise was a memory I will keep forever in my mind's eye. Watching the sun rise was almost like feeling the rising of something spectacular! ... the beginning of some thing new, the rising of hope and possibilities and the  forget

  I love dance and have created paintings inspired by dance in fact inspired from within.   Dance, as an art form itself, its like painting but using the body as a canvas to express a mood or evoke an emotion. For me, this is a reflection of the dancer having a dream and using visual music to express herself freely. When she has 'learnt to use the language of the soul to express a silent poetry that speaks from her heart she has learnt to dance to the rhythm of life

Abstract specialists meet Portrait Magicians' with a dynamic & eclectic mix of art displays in a collaboration of Kenyan artists in Nairobi for 'four' weeks. ( + extended from 11 April 2014 untill THE END OF THE MONTH!!..... All artworks are for sale & include some exciting abstract pieces as well as portraits. Some of my abstract paintings including ' Life is a Maze I & II' & 'Harmony after Chaos' are on display for viewing and for sale. If you are out of town, make your way to Nairobi & if you are in town...come see them for yourself ! @ Dynamix Studios, Argwings Kodhek Road, (opposite Skyrock Apartments) between  31 March - 11 April 2014. Contact our team directly for any inquiries on the numbers below or email me directly on taskin.butt@gmail.com.

In those moments of inspiration, it is vital to translate ideas into paintings! otherwise the idea is lost.... It was in one of those moments when 'Taking a Walk in the Maze' was created. I had just finished 'Life is a Maze' and I was preparing to display it for a local exhibition in April when the idea came up of doing a 'sequel' to it.....an extension of the 'Life is a Maze' so both can be displayed together in the exhibition...       Life is a Maze  I & II oil & acrylic on canvas  100 cm x 90 cm   75 cm x 50 cm © 2014

My sister came across my sketch book and saw a sketch of an abstract fish I had done back in 2012 and  requested me to paint it and specified she would like it in 'pink & gold'. This is what turned out !!.....  Fertility  mixed media 80 cm x 60 cm  © 2014 Below you will find the step by step process of creating ' Fertility'. (my sisters new painting) Process to 'Fertility' :  1. Start with creating stencil for the fish and establish design elements , draw out the fish after establishing the position of the fish in the composition, then apply the gold spray on edges of canvas 2.Keep applying gold spray all across to the middle areas leaving out the stencil space for the fish 3.Fill the pink tones of the fish body, starting with dark tones of pink and progressing to lighter pink tones 4. Work over  the details of the fins,starting with the upper fins and progressing downwards, continuing to      establish the transition

There are twists and turns There are many ways Some lead us to dead ends Others lead us to something wonderful Eventually there is always a way through it…   ....In the maze of life...                                   Life is a Maze                                   oil on canvas                                 75 cm x 50 cm                                 © 2014 This latest abstract piece I have done this month came about after I was reflecting over the idea of  'life & death'.. The abstract actually  has two layers of meaning. First, in life we encounter many possible ways,  dead ends (loss), 'twists & turns' (obstacles and lessons) however these together in the maze of life eventually lead us to something worthwhile. The other level of the painting is based on the conflicting moments experienced of relief with sorrow,  pain & happiness &  the concept that  life is really only understood backwa

For sometime now I had been exploring abstract designs ........ It has been said when we take time off what we usually paint or draw it sometimes invites new possibilities in exploring subjects and techniques we have never touched or applied. Often said to be a great stress reliever too, abstract work particularly in mixed media also opens a new window into working with new shapes, borders and lines.It seems like a great option when taking some time off painting landscapes to delve into inner feelings and experiences in a personal way... Here I have been using pencil, ink and combining it with digital art... Here are just some of my abstract designs done recently ........                                                                      Untangling one day at a time I am Free   © all copyright protected 2014