Page 17 - The Digital Cloth Issue 7
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it to them. That’s why I do it. I do it to give the youth a I grew up surrounded by
visual of themselves. If they can see it, they can saturated colors and it’s one of the
become it. first differences I noticed when I
came to America – the muted color
My art is a combination of two art forms – digital schemes.
painting and thread painting. My work is Growing up in Ghana, cloth was
characterized by bright, bold colors. In fact, one of an integral part of the culture. It
the first awards I received for my work was an award is a very significant component of
for “Excellence in Color”. non-verbal communication. The
My use of bold colors stems from my upbringing in colors and print patterns of fabrics
Ghana. tell their own stories.
For example, to celebrate major life
events like the birth of a child,
marriage, or death, it is common
for the host to choose a specific
fabric pattern and color for all
invited guests to wear. One could
not grow up without having some
sort of relationship with fabrics.
From the fabrics which were
chosen for the celebration of your
birth, to the fabrics which are
chosen for your marriage or the
death of a grandparent, our
memories are filled with the fabrics
of our lives.
Therefore, it is common to have a
relationship with a dress maker
who’ll turn the chosen fabrics into
beautiful clothes for you. Making
custom clothes for an occasion was
more common than buying already
made clothes. This is how I learned
to use color and eventually, how I
gained my current color sense.
Let me explain...
Usually, a seamstress only charges
you for labor. So, in order to have
your clothes made, you’ll have to
bring to the seamstress, all the
supplies she’ll need in order to
make your outfit. This means that
you’ll have to go to the fabric store,
get the fabric, choose the lining, the
trims, get zippers, buttons, threads
and pretty much anything she’ll
need.
