String Art

In just one short month, I have fallen in love with Nigerian String Art. This combination art form and craftsmanship originated in Nigeria and utilizes silk thread, artistic capabilities, glue and coloring to create work which has vibrant colors and local content.

String art is created by sketching a figure onto canvas, then traced over to accent the details.  It is then glued multiple times. Details and background are hand woven into the canvas with colored silk thread.   The strong colors are created from plants which are cooked for days over a very hot fire.  The colors produced are used to dye the silk thread which makes up the artwork.  String Art can take as long as three to four weeks to create.

And - surprise - I bought one!  See the piece the artist is holding??  It's on the way to being framed very soon!!  I love it!   It's a touch of Nigeria which fits perfectly in our new African home!