Tribes
Kenya tribes are grouped into larger subgroups based on their cultural and linguistic similarities. There are three major categories of languages: Bantu, Nilotes and Cushites. Cushites are mainly pastoralists and nomads, found in North Eastern province. Bantu speaking people are usually found in the Central

Languages

English and Swahili are the two main languages. There are however many other tribal languages. Major tribal languages include: Gikuyu, Luo, Luhia, Kikamba, Kisii and Kalejin.

Cuisine

Different communities have different cultures and traditions and thus different dishes. Staple foods are maize and other cereals eaten with meat and variety of vegetables.  The most common dish among Kenyans is Ugali. Its cornmeal cooked with water to a thick consistency. This is usually eaten with green vegetables referred as sukuma wiki.

Art and Craft

Diverse cultures and traditions in Kenya imply very rich source of art work. Every community is known for its special kind of art. The most popular items include: Maasai blankets, Kisii soap stone carvings, wooden carvings, Maasai beads, tribal masks, Kangas, kikoi, sisal baskets among others.

Kenyan animal hide drums will always remind you of African rhythm. Wooden carvings often come as exiting mixture of black and brown. Soap stones carvings are very beautiful and are popularly used to adorn homes with their smooth, eclectic look. They clearly display the ingenuity and talents of Kenyans artisans.

Most Kenya cultures and traditions put great emphasis on their looks and jewelry come in handy to enhance their looks. These pieces of art are not only amazing but carry symbolic meaning.

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“Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you, I bless the rains down in Africa”

Listening to this song, Africa by Toto, always reminds – What a beautiful place Africa is! The Serengeti, the tribes and clans, the Kilimanjaro, the Olympus and everything about the place that is so close to nature and far from the maddening conurbation. And when we talk about Africa and its tribal populace, how can we forget the handicraft findings of Africa? The handicraft of Africa do not need any introduction. They are famous, much sought after and there are good reasons why they are so.

There is a distinct and rich flavour to everything that is African and that is close to nature. Very earthy, yet very classy – that’s what they are. And so are the handicraft findings of this place. The beautiful, magnificent and unique designs are so different from handicraft findings from other parts of the world, yet they make you feel that you recognise them and you have always known them.

From the traditional African carvings to masks that are hand crafted and painted with the natural colours, from the show pieces made of wood and wood carvings to pottery and different clay objects, there is a huge variety of handicraft findings. These handicraft findings are now enjoying their rightful place in homes in different parts of the world, luxury hotels, corporate houses etc. where they are appreciated and marvelled at.

And while we are talking about the handicraft findings of Africa, we can not do justice by forgetting the hand crafted jewellery from African tribal lands. Excellent bead work, astonishing usage of brass, dazzling South African diamonds encrusted in jewellery of gold and platinum, stunning pearls and shimmering crystals are some of the offerings from this continent, that are adulated and exported to different corners of the world. Nothing beats a diamond studded tribal design jewellery. There is so much that the green lands of Africa has to offer, that it really would take a lot to drag one away from her.

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The art items in Kenya include sisal baskets, elephant hair bracelets, Maasai bead jewelry, musical instruments, silver and gold jewelry, soapstone sculptures, wooden carvings, tribal masks, Maasai figurines, paintings, prints and sculptures. These art items are available in the arts and craft markets and shops throughout the main tourist centers of Kenya.

Cloth and Fabric in Kenya also form interesting art items. The cloth and fabric available in Kenya are batik cloth, kangas (women’s wraparound skirts) with beautiful patterns and even Kenyan proverbs printed on them and kikois (type of sarong for men) that come in many different colors and textiles. These are good art items to take home from your Kenyan trip.

African jewelry has been quite popular for centuries in the world market. Kenya offers rare pieces of African jewelry containing cowry shells. Kenya is also known for its soapstone carvings found in Western Kenya. It is the Gusii and Abigusii ethnic groups which hand carve these Kissi stones into exquisite pieces of Kenyan art.

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Music

Benga is a truly Kenyan music style. Benga is high-energy dance music that originated after the 1940s when Luo musicians started playing traditional tunes with modern electrical instruments.

Most other popular music styles have received influences from abroad. Taarab is the traditional Swahili music played at the Kenyan coast, and is heavily influenced by Arabic and Indian music styles. Lingala – modern upbeat party music – came from Congo, where the deteriorating political situation made many artists flee to East Africa. American hip hop and gangsta rap has infiltrated Kenya like a virus. Pictures of 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg are everywhere in Nairobi.

Dance

The hypnotic swaying and leaping in Masai and Samburu dancing, are the best known forms of Kenyan dancing. In their energetic dancing, warriors display their strength by leaping high in the air.

The Masai and other tribes perform regularly for tourists who visit their villages. In tourist venues along the coast, Mijikenda dance groups often give performances.

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Sigana

Sigana is a traditional performance art which contains elements of all the major Kenya art forms: storytelling, song, music, dance, rituals etc. Active participation is a key feature of sigana. The line between performers and audience is less clear than in many other Kenya art forms.

You won’t see these often along the tourist trails, but the Mzizi Arts Centre in Nairobi  organizes monthly Sigana performances.

Theatre and performance

There are several theatre groups in Kenya, most of them based in Nairobi. Names to remember are the Mbalamwezi Theatre Group and the Phoenix and Miujiza Players. They often perform at the foreign cultural centres in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

In Nairobi, there’s the Kenya National Theatre. It’s known for the controversy it created with the production “I Will Marry When I Want” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii, which brought them into confrontation with the government.

Kenyans reportedly also like of satire and stand up comedy. One popular group is Redykuylass (‘Rediculous’) which featured in a weekly TV program with a mix of political and social satire.

Literature

In Kenya, oral narratives are the oldest form of literature. Oral stories are still important in many communities. Written literature, in Swahili and English, emerged in the beginning of the twentieth century. However, only after Kenya’s independence (1963) a body of national literature came into being.

An important author (novelist, playwright and essayist) is Ngugi wa Thiong’o. As a child on missionary school, he was a devout Christian, but later he rejected Christianity and became a fierce critic of colonialism. He changed his name from James Ngugi to Ngugi wa Thiong’o in 1976 and embraced his native Kikuyu culture, as well as Marxism.

While having written the first novel in English by an East African author – “Weep not, child” (1964) – he published his first book in Kikuyu in 1980: “Caitaani Muthara-Ini” (Devil on the Cross). He now argued that literature written by Africans in a colonial language is not really African literature. In 1992 Ngugi became professor of literature at New York University.

Cinema

There is a small film industry in Kenya, which is struggling to stay alive, like elsewhere in Africa. However, a new generation of Kenyan film makers is emerging, inspired by the success of the Nigerian video industry. One such film director is Kibaara Kaugi, who in 2004 produced the acclaimed “Enough is enough” – a narrative of the famous Mau Mau uprising – on a minimal budget.

Also, foreign film makers have used Kenya as a backdrop for their works. The most famous example is of course Sydney Pollack’s “Out of Africa” (1985) with Merryl Streep and Robert Redford, which is about the life of Danish author Karen Blixen, who emigrated in the 1910s to Kenya to become a coffee farmer. A recent international movie is “The White Masai” (2005), after the real story of the Swiss woman Corinne Hofmann who married a Samburu warrior and joined tribal life. There is no happy ending here. These and other movies are reviewed on my movies about Kenya page.

Some Nairobi cinema houses are 20th Century Cinema (Mama Ngina Street), Fox Drive-In Cinema (Thika Road) and Nairobi Cinema (Uchumi House, Aga Khan Walk).

Crafts

In Kenya you will find much beautiful and fine craft work. It’s sometimes amazing to see people in rags sitting outside their ‘home’ (if you could call it that), and produce wooden carved tables and chairs of a beauty you won’t see anywhere in North America or Europe.

Most crafts are produced for tourists. It’s best to set aside any purist misgivings you might have over their authenticity, and just enjoy them for their own beauty (which they often have). Compare this to American or European culture, which is also eternally developing. The Beatles are just as ‘truly European’ as Beethoven is!

Wood carvings of people and animals can be bought everywhere. Classic are the very long sculptures of women carrying baskets on their heads.

Soap stone objects are another popular for of Kenya art. Soap stone is mined in western Kenya by the Gusii and Abigusii tribes. They then produce beautiful sculptures, chess sets etc. from it. Each piece is carved individually by the craftsmen and then wet sanded, polished and dyed all by hand. Soap stone products can be bought everywhere in Kenya.

Jewelry (often in the form of beads) are another Kenyan speciality and they can be bought in all colours of the rainbow. Jewelry is important in African culture. Much Kenyan jewelry contains cowry shells. They are not only beautiful but also symbolic.

Masai spears and shields are also popular souvenirs. But first check with your air company and your customs whether you can take them home. Another solution is having them sent home by mail. Some tourist shops offer this option.

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14 inch brown-black stripped wooden zebra face mask. Beautifully designed to reveal facial features. Perfect for gifts, decorations or as collectors item.

18 by 24 inch on wallpaper. Beautiful mixed medium art displays a man requesting permission to assist a woman.

2 ebony 9 inch candle holders. Beautiful spiral-snake design with firm base. Intricate art work with an excellent finish. Perfect for gifts, decorations or as collectors item. (1 pair)

Red/black-colored 4 inch round box with lid. Carved from soapstone. The etching reveals a traditional African dancer. The lid has a pick-up that gives an elephant impression. Perfect for storing jewelry.

5 inch beautiful multi-colored soapstone bowl with careful etchings that outline the silhouette tree and the endangered black African rhino. The colors are a mix of pink-purple-black. Perfect match with related colored vase and goblet. The handle is carved into a swan’s head. The accuracy involved in the making of this product can be displayed by the perfection in the swan’s bill and eyes. Perfect for gifts and decorations.

Meticulously carved 8 inch Ujama (pronounced uh-ja-maa) family village figurine. Carved from Ebony wood. Beautiful and careful design reveals members of a family all connected together, symbolic of relationships. Ujama comes from the base word jama meaning “family relation”. Ujama was a sort of division of labor and proceeds went towards the extended family and people living in the village. Perfect for gifts, decorations or as collectors item. Very symbolic piece of art.

Marble look alike 2 inch candleholder. Made from Asian* soapstone. The holder has a firm extended base for drip collection and mesh like design. (4 pieces)

Marble look alike 6 inch Asian* soapstone elephant carving. The elephant sculpture is carefully carved to reveal details like ivory tusks, trunk and ears.

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Back to Basics–A Search for Primitve in Art

In 1997 I spent days in National Museum Delhi exploring the Indian section of the landmark exhibition Enduring Image brought from British Museum. I found irresistible attraction to Egyptian art as well there was a primeval force in the African exhibits. The raw energy cascading from the sculptures rendered in wood and iron by African tribal artists overwhelmed the sensibilities. (A similar experience awaited me when I visited The Met in New York early this year.) A totemic wooden sculpture of a man his phallus hanging down to ground made many a viewer cast furtive glances and slide on. That was 1997-1998 India. For me and for many an artist friend it was the confrontation between what was learnt in art colleges as â??high artâ?? and the Primitive art. We in 1997 were travelling but rarely to museums of Europe and U.S A. It was a rare scholarship to West that artists could see the global art. The world has changed much since for good or the bad. You may travel or surf without water and you can reach all the corners of the world and view all the art that is/was created from the confines of your computer room. You may rehash anything you desire merely by using the right software. But what is important is that with India arriving on world scene some of us can with greater faith and confidence look to our own treasures of art to fall back on for fresh inspiration. The primitive/ tribal art offers an important vignette in the minds and spirit of prehistoric Man.

Primitivising
The primitive art from African and Asian cultures attracted the artists in West. While all European countries, thanks to superior fire power and big sailing ships could subjugate very rich cultures in rest of the world. They called them savage, pagan. The modernist artists in West were attracted to the primitive art especially from Africa. Matisse travelled to Africa and was impressed by pure resonant colours. He along with Fauvists appropriated the colour elements of these cultures. Paul Gaugin lived in Tahiti to paint and to be part of the local primitive culture. Picasso though did not travel but had African sculptures and masks in his studio. His landmark Les Demoiselles d’Avignon used the image of the sitting woman in cubist style that he derived from African sculptures. Paul Klee Joan Miroâ?? and Salvador Dali used â??primitivism of the subconsciousâ? according to Professor Robert Goldwater in his seminal Primitivism in Modern Art.
Manoj Mantra the young acolyte of art from Lucknow college of art has charted his course of art journey not through imbuing expensiveness by studding platinum replicas of skulls with diamonds (I understand an artist from India is following the same path of using gold to make his art work important as art!) or pickling a shark to teach us about the ephemeral or the blind use of digital camera to produce paintings. This is the darker side of globalisation and laptops for art! I am sure as Indian collectors mature they will understand the difference. One needs to see a Ram Kinkar Baij, a Somnath Hore or an Anis Kapoor or Richard Serraâ??s steel sculptures to understand the deep spiritual and societal feel of their art.

Manoj Mantra has freed himself from the demons that haunt present day art. He has tried to look not on materials or their expensiveness or some other gimmick to find his rudders. He works on paper and does drawings only. Not very impressive? But does it matter. He has confronted the primitive inside him and has created an impressive array of very powerful works.
When I look at Mantraâ??s drawings I am in the land of dualitiesâ??of raw primitiveness and modern factotum. His human figure is more a totemic image with uneven reed like teeth imposing a foreboding, a fear and imminence. It reminds one of the Francis Baconâ??s open mouth figures or the angry tribal gods… Elements that connect us back to civilisation proliferate in his works. There are phalli like elongated forms resembling a sitar or a harpsichord which has in place of strings human ribs, hatted figures, belts around pumpkin waists or around necks, bulbs lighted from un-anatomical apertures in body. His art is quirkish beyond the pale of logic or rationality of known forms. His forms are less of humans that we recognize and more like forebodings of unknown in the vein of Inferno of Dante Alighieriâ??

Inferno
Canto-I A Dark Wood

1 MIDWAY upon the journey of our life
2 I found myself within a forest dark,
3 For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

4 Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say
5 What was this forest savage, rough, and stern,
6 Which in the very thought renews the fear.

7 So bitter is it, death is little more;
8 But of the good to treat, which there I found,
9 Speak will I of the other things I saw there.

Mantraâ??s is world of loss, of dark woods where logic, rationality love are seduced by primal forms and savagery of being. His is a world of substantial loss of civilisational memory. Some remnants of the humanity persist. It reminds me of Rameshwar Brootaâ??s paintings from eighties and early nineties where the human/ape exist in the midst of crumbling edifices, mayhem and destruction. Mantraâ??s expression akin to the Inferno has a narrative style. But the narration is not linear or logical. It is neither magic realism nor surrealism a la Salvador Dali. His narrative is soulâ??s winter; his narrative is raw libido, the crude nightmares of being.
Mantra is not alone among Indian artists to explore the â??The Dark Woodâ?? of unknown subconscious. He has the esteemed company of likes of K. Ramajunam whose dense drawings emerged from the deep recesses of the primitive id. Laxma Gaud shares with Mantra the physical elements of sexuality in his art. While Laxma is rooted in time and space Mantra transforms his dramatis persona into fantasized forms often merging the imagery animals into humans. This is a quality of prehistoric cultures which Mantra alongside Picasso has appropriated in his expression. Mantraâ??s forms always have stylised human feet irrespective of whether they are animal, bird or an engineered form. These forms while in twosome or a group pile upon each other in near impossible acrobatic feats. The romantic or funny cock or a bird or tubular bud flower jutting out of a gash in body are evident in many of his drawings. This adumbrates Purush and Prakriti â??the male and female principles of life symbolically represented. While I talk of Mantraâ??s fascination with the primitive I cannot ignore the strident works of J. Sultan Ali who worked with the tribal spirit of expression and evolved a personalised art. His first solo exhibition in 1963 in Delhi at Kumar gallery stands out as a landmark of pure tribal/primitive spirit and symbolism. While Sultan Ali used a line more linear in shape Mantra uses a shaky line. He creates interesting visual play by building single line space and fertilising it with dense linear hatching. Mantraâ??s preoccupation with the primitive id resonates with K. Ramanujam who built a magical world from the bricks and mortar of his personal fantasies, elements of reality and cultural myths.

My analysis of Mantraâ??s art will not be complete without mentioning his innate sense of humour. If Picassoâ??s weeping woman had a boat in place of eye Mantra has an incandescent bulb instead. Even the funny postures of the figures and apples on the head remind one of William Tellâ??s arrow shooting skills in hilarious way. Thus he leads his fantasized prmitivising art without a stranglehold of too much mind and overt thought.

Victor Vijay
Painter, Assemblage artist

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Home Decor is typically thought of as a dear and bank-breaking process. Yet there are numerous ways for you to give your house an easy but classy touch : from simply rearranging your furniture around to beautifying your living room with cheap candle centerpieces, you can make your home beautiful without having spend thousands. There are so many techniques that you can employ.

A nice new way to add pizzaz to your kitchen is with new designs.

Greenery
A few potted plants arranged strategically around a room will prove not simply a pretty and cheap way of decorating your house, but a source of vibrant and refreshing life as well.

Furniture
You simply need to shift them around for maximum effect.

If you are acquainted with Chinese Feng-shui, then you should know the basic idea of ‘harmonizing’ a room’s décor. While steering clear from the idea of Feng-shui, the arrangement of furniture can help make or die a room’s beauty.

Wall Dcor
While Rembrandt paintings and potraits and fixed to a wall sculptures are legitimized wall décor that can help fill up space and add beauty to your house, these options are usually dear ; costing up to a couple of hundred or thousand bucks apiece.

Just don’t forget to choose wall décor that will complement with one another : some African tribal masks would be a little misplaced in a room which has a distinctly Asian or Oriental feel to it.

Centerpieces
Prominent centerpieces are what will capture the eye of any one visiting your house, as the encompassing furniture and themes will beautify these centerpieces.

However, an efficient center piece does not have to be a Victorian work of creativity or some traditional Greek sculpture. Even simple candles and bonsai trees can do the job Just do not forget to select a centerpiece that can harmonize with the encircling plants, furniture and wall dcor, and you will have your guests wowing at the simple effectiveness that a bunch of candles has on your living area.

Easy magnificence can be found in the most humble of things: from candle centerpieces to a few potted plants in your home. All you want to do is just open your eyes to the possibilities and check out knobstoppers , the vintage door knob wine stoppers.
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Procrastination is a dream stealer. It’s insidious and has the potential to snuff out our vitality and diminish how we feel about ourselves. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, to procrastinate means “to put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness”. Ouch, that sounds harsh, doesn’t it! But when we procrastinate, we start to lose our focus, drain our energy and ultimately cause our self-esteem to plummet. Just imagine what happens when you fill a sink with water but your plug has a loose seal. You come back 5 minutes later to find an empty sink. That’s exactly what happens to us when we procrastinate — our energy and focus simply drain away from us.

I am a reforming procrastinator. For example, I had a basement storage room that desperately needed de-cluttering. It got to the point after literally months of procrastination that I started avoided going to the basement altogether. Finally I noticed how much of my time and energy was going into avoiding cleaning up the clutter. So I simply decided that I’d spend two hours each morning chipping away at it. I was stunned when it took me only two mornings to get that room in shape! Order was restored, junk was tossed and I even discovered a set of African tribal masks my ex-husband and I purchased decades earlier hidden away in some garbage bags. I wonder what a Feng Shui expert would say about that! I likely spent 100 times more energy postponing and thinking about cleaning up that room than it actually took to clean it up! What could I have done with all that time and focus if I’d tamed my procrastination beast! Have you had a similar experience?
We procrastinate about obvious things – preparing our tax returns, cleaning up cluttered areas, scheduling car maintenance, going to the gym or making amends to people. However, we also procrastinate in more subtle forms. How about going to bed when our bodies need sleep? Or taking quiet time to refuel yourself or assess your priorities? Taken the time to plan healthy meals lately? How often do we put off acknowledging ourselves or others or spending quality time with our children and loved ones?

The journey of a thousand miles truly does begin with a single step. Being aware of where you procrastinate is the first one. To get a handle on procrastination, read on to create your game plan. Why not start by declaring this next week a “procrastination-free” week. If you fall off the horse and do procrastinate, just dust yourself off and get back on! Our dreams are too important to all of us to let the dream stealer of procrastination sabotage them.

Taming the Procrastination Beast

Here are some useful strategies to tame your own procrastination beast. So if you’re serious, get started now – don’t procrastinate!

1. Identify Your Procrastination Hot Spots Take a moment to identify where in your life you’re procrastinating – look at your health, your family, your finances, your home environment, your relationships. What are the first three things that come to mind? We’ll call these your procrastination hot spots. There will be many, but let’s just start with those.

2. Write Your Hot Spots Down Write those procrastination hot spots down. Taking it out of your consciousness and down on paper enables you to look at it objectively. If you want to improve your success, commit your actions to paper.

3. Build a Charge For each item on your list, take a moment to “build a charge”. First, reflect on what your life would look like and feel like if this item was complete? Notice your energy level, your ability to focus, your level of self-esteem. As you visualize that in detail, feel the positive energy of it being generated in your body. Write down what you notice. Second, reflect on what your life would look and feel like if you continue to procrastinate on this item. See yourself in six months or even six years with this hot spot still bugging you. Notice the physical reactions that cascade through your body as you connect to that picture. Write it down.

4. Make a Choice Now you get to decide. Tap into that charge you just felt. Are you willing to tackle this procrastination hot spot now? If the answer is “no”, that’s fine, but make a date as to when you’ll review that decision. If the answer is “yes,” keep going!

5. Create a Structure that Works for You Put a structure in place that will help you get the job done. A date when you’re going to start and a completion date are imperative. When will you make that call? By when will you create that filing system? Decide when and for how long you’re going to work on it. Some people like the “I’ll do it until it’s done approach”. Others, myself included, prefer to create more bite-size chunks of time. For example, to de-clutter the kitchen or kids’ rooms I’ll set the timer for 15 minutes or listen to 1 CD while taking on those jobs. Do you need any support – either someone to pitch in with you or someone who will hold you accountable for getting the job done? What internal dialogue could you use to support you as you go, such as “I deserve having a filing system that works for me!”

6. Celebrate your Success Take a moment to celebrate your accomplishment! Don’t minimize the importance that an organized sock drawer can have on your peace of mind. So take the time to step back and enjoy the benefits of taming your procrastination beast.

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There is nothing more unappealing than a dull, drab colorless living room space. Do you really enjoy scuffling in from a long day at work and finding that your home décor is no more visually stimulating than your office cubicle? Well itâ??s time to spice things up in your home and Iâ??m here to tell you how to do it! Your home decoration should reflect your personality and you arenâ??t dull and drab are you? Of course not, just follow my tips below and your home will reflect your wild, bubbly personality.

Add animal prints. It doesnâ??t matter what kind of animal you choose. It can be anything from cheetah print pillows to a big old zebra rug. There are so many animal prints out there that you are sure to find one that will go with your current color scheme. Animal print in your living room is sure to pop and draw the eye in. Paint the ceiling. Dull white ceiling are so out this season. Grab a paint roller and a bright, vibrant color. It will totally change up the look of any room. Try to coordinate the color with the rest of your space, but just make sure you donâ??t play it safe and paint the ceiling tan or something. Add wacky decorations. Anything from vintage bird cages to African tribal masks will really make a statement in your living room. It will tell people that you do indeed have tastes and interests, and that you arenâ??t defined by your boring office job. Shop around at thrift shops and find unique accessories for your living room Stop buying furniture from Ikea. Nothing says â??Iâ??m dullâ? more than a sofa an Ektorp sofa and matching chair from Ikea. All of their stuff looks the same and all of your coworkers have the same stuff in their apartments. Your next furniture purchase should be from a more unique venue and the new design will spice up your living room in no time.

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Every piece of art is an experiment for Picci Designs, and its founders wouldn’t have it any other way. When artists Laszlo Tihany and Linda Colino formed Picci Designs in 1994, it was a collaboration built on innovation and supported by the artistic philosophy they share: “Strength in simplicity of design.” Blending contemporary, impressionistic and primitive styles, Picci Designs’ artwork comes alive in metal sculptures, abstract painting, African tribal masks, abstract photography, and art deco clocks and mirrors.

Laszlo Tihany is a world-renowned artist from Hungary who spent time exploring the artistic worlds of Italy, Germany and France before immigrating to the United States in 1973. Five years later, he settled in Arizona, inspired by the desert’s “uncorrupted innocence.” Since then, Laszlo’s work has achieved international acclaim – especially for his metal sculptures – and his pieces are now in private collections all over the world.

Award-winning artist Linda Colino has been painting since she was a child, and it shows in both her work and in her passion for the art form. She’s lived in Arizona most of her life, heavily influenced by Southwestern art. And in recent years, Laszlo has had a significant impact on Linda’s growth as an artist by inspiring her to explore a new direction – abstract figurative sculptures.

Together, Laszlo and Linda complement one another’s styles. Though Laszlo’s primary focus is on metal sculptures and Linda’s on abstract painting, they collaborate on just about everything including their African tribal masks, abstract photography, and art deco clocks and mirrors. “Different things inspire us at different times,” says Linda, “and the light bulb goes off. When Laszlo comes up with a great idea, I have input into it.” And it goes both ways. “It’s a good collaboration,” she says.

Across every medium in which they work, Picci Designs blends the contemporary, impressionistic and primitive styles that bring their art to life.  These influences are on display in everything from the bright, colorful movement in their metal sculptures, abstract paintings, and art deco clocks and mirrors to the vibrantly vivid images captured in their abstract photography and the playfully striking boldness in their African tribal masks.

“I want to give more than a colorful experience,” says Laszlo. “I want to intertwine my imagination with the viewer’s.” Linda, no doubt, feels the same way. And together through Picci Designs these two innovative artists communicate something we all need more of in our lives – a playful, joyful experience through art that always makes you smile.

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When you are looking for a way to bring color, energy and history into your home, you will find that one of the best ways to do so is by looking to decorate with an African motif. More and more people are discovering the ways that they can liven up their environments with these powerful designs, so take a look at some information to get you started. Make sure that you make the most out of any opportunity that you can to take a look at adding these lovely objects to your environment

When you are taking a look at African culture and the goods that come out of that country, the first thing that you will be struck by is the sheer variety. Whether you are thinking of African fabrics or African musical instruments, you will find that the differences and variations could fill an entire library, so make sure that you take a look around at the regional differences. The cloth that you find in Ghana, for instance will be instantly distinguishable from the African fabrics that you find elsewhere.

When you are considering African fabrics, take a look around at some of the variety that you will see. Batik, which uses wax to create some of the most beautifully intricate designs on bright vivid colors are a great way to add a little bit of color to your world, and you’ll find that many of these designs are influenced by tribal motifs. They are often hand-dyed, giving them a lively mode color variation and offering a one of a kind piece of art no matter what you intend to use it for. Similarly, you will find that they are often created in small pieces, usually no more than two and four yards, and that they are perfect for decoration.

Similarly, when you take a look at African musical instruments, you will find some wonderful variety waiting for you. Most familiar to many people are the African drums, which can range in use from being musical instruments, to ceremonial objects to a form of highly sophisticated communication. You’ll find that African musical instruments will differ depending on which area of the country they are from, for instance, you may find that the slit drums of the Yaka and the Yangere are quite different from the traditional drums of the Yoruba and the Senufro. When looking at the African musical instruments, you will also see a wide variety of wind instruments like trumpets and flutes as well as many types of xylophone and harps.

Remember that when you are dealing with African art that variety is something that you should be on the look out for. Embrace the various types of art you can bring into your life and really experience some of the differences you can find in this amazing field.

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The popularity of African home decor reflects in the growth of this trend over the last three years. More interior designers and buyers longing to spice up and add a sense of adventure to their homes have sought African decor items to fill that need.

For centuries the continent of Africa has produced inspired works of art people around the globe envy. For example, objects made from stone, clay, woods and other natural materials.

With the popularity of earth-friendly home decor products, African home accessories seem like a natural (pardon the pun) fit for today’s demanding home decor market and consumer.

African decor produced from natural earth friendly materials continues to grow in popularity among interior designers. The most popular forms of African tribal decor is wood figurines, wood masks and animal wood carvings.

These African wood carvings often made from trees that replenish easily because of faster growth – as opposed to other trees. For example, trees such as bamboo, teak and other fast growing varieties.

Colorful African baskets of all sizes continue to grow as a popular home decor accessory, adding a splash of color and interest to any room. The popularity comes from the double benefits of a decorative piece that’s also used for storage purposes.

Quality hand-made African home decor baskets crafted with various kinds of loom add variety to any home decor. The better quality form of loom is the horizontal pedal loom. The horizontal loom is most popular from the regions of West Africa.

The West African tribes of the Kasai and Kwilu territories located near the Central Congo developed a unique weaving technique. For example, the tribal women meticulously weave plush raffia or fiber on diagonal looms. Next they take the pattern and knot it in broad bands during the detailed weaving process. And finally the expert weaver completes the detailed steps by cutting the overhanging material to an even finish.

Inserting a colorful pattern, done in various ways adds a touch of color to the decorative African baskets. The most popular method? Meticulously hand-weaving with colored threads, the result is a stunning piece of African art that would brighten up any room.

Wrought iron African home decor accessories continues as a favorite because of its longevity. African statues and figurines of tribesmen, tribeswomen and popular animals throughout the tropical forest and East Africa represent consumer favorites world-wide.

African pottery is another popular African decor accessory used to add a look of adventure to any room in your home. African hand-made pottery usually employs many popular and recognized techniques. For example, rounded pots hollowed out with a continuous turning movement of the craft persons hands – at just the right angle and depth.

African gourde containers grow in West Africa. The gourde container, usually cut in half and their hard outer shells used to fashion decorative bowls, cups, plates and other vessels for water and food. These African bowls, decorated with various patterns of stripes and other colorful designs adds interest and authenticity. These African designs not only add interest to the piece, they often tell a story or give a positive message to the reader.

Quality African decor can add zest and life to any room. There’s a category that fits every taste and lifestyle.

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