The Artist - Napthali Berhane
Napthali Berhane is an intuitive artist who lives between the islands of Jamaica and the United Kingdom. He creates pieces from pencil, water colour, acrylic, wood burning, charcoal, chalk and pen and ink. His ability to capture Jamaican culture and beyond is striking, as is his ability to work across different mediums and to deliver on commissions as well as his own personal projects. We need to support artists like Naphtali and his works offer unique gifts and special pieces for homes and interiors everywhere. You can find Naphtali's creations on Facebook under Napthali Berhane and on Instagram @naphtaliarts
When did you start painting? I began drawing at primary school age and noticed that I had a talent for art as I drew bodies when others would draw stick people. I continued to do art at secondary school and obtained a qualification in art doing portraits, life drawings, art design and crafts. I began to take my art more seriously in 1991 when I got into trouble and went to prison and used my time there to focus on developing my talent and it also became a distraction for me.
Where do you get your inspiration from? I get my inspiration from watching people go about their everyday lives, nature, African history and culture and the guidance from the ancestors. This led me to draw the symbol of life series that consists of 11 paintings it is a dedication to the African woman, of her strength, wisdom, courage and her knowledge. The ankh is a symbol of the key of life.
Tell us about how your portrait of Sizzla came about? I got a commission to create a large mural of Sizzla for a shop in Jamaica. People loved it. I decided to do wood etching for Sizzla and drop it down to Judgement Yard. He loved it and it now hangs on his studio door. I admire Sizzla's creativity and vision in his music - it was a blessing to create for him.
| Sizzla next to Napthali's mural
The wood etching now hangs on Sizzla's Studio door. If you had to do a piece of work inspired by reggae music what would it be? I guess people dancing vibz-ing over music, I would aim to capture the essence of the music the unity of people that reggae music creates. What is the significance of the pregnant woman in your work? I love to paint pregnant women who are happy in pregnancy. I don’t have a deeper sense or thought around it. I love to paint women in all their forms pregnant, young old strong or happy. I use women to represent how I am feeling and will capture them in a variety of moods that will translate into visual imagery I like to see happy people. I also like to paint the old churches in Jamaica because of the architecture and how they are set in the environment of the hills or on a little road. I feel I am capturing history in my finished works. My series of works on pregnant women attract a lot of positive attention.
Tell us about the Marcus Garvey works? Drawing Marcus Garvey is about remembering the ancestors, as are my paintings of Paul Bogle and Sam Sharpe.
It is a way of remembering them but also if I am commissioned to create a drawing on a specific person that can then trigger me to do a well-known person in history such as Bob Marley or Emperor Haile Selaisse, Tutunkhamon or Ramses. I paint people in my culture and Marcus Garvey is a big part of Jamaican culture. Which is your favourite piece? I don’t really have a favourite piece of work I have a medium I love to work in. I love water colour and also the wood burning that I am currently doing.
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The Artist
Napthali Berhane
Napthali Berhane is an intuitive artist who
lives between the islands of Jamaica and the United Kingdom. He creates pieces
from pencil, water colour, acrylic, wood burning, charcoal, chalk and pen and
ink. His ability to capture Jamaican culture and beyond is striking, as is his ability to work across different mediums and to deliver on commissions as well as his own personal projects. We need to support artists like Naphtali and his works offer unique gifts and special pieces for homes and interiors everywhere.
You can find Naphtali's creations on Facebook under Napthali Berhane and on Instagram @naphtaliarts
When did you start painting? I began drawing at primary school age and noticed that I had a talent for art as I drew bodies when others would draw stick people.
I
continued to do art at secondary school and obtained a qualification in art doing
portraits, life drawings, art design and crafts.
I began to take my art more seriously in 1991 when I got into trouble and went to prison and used my time there to focus on developing my talent and it also became a distraction for me.
Where do you get your inspiration from? I get my inspiration from watching people go about their everyday lives, nature, African history and culture and the guidance from the ancestors. This led me to draw the symbol of life series that consists of 11 paintings it is a dedication to the African woman, of her strength, wisdom, courage and her knowledge. The ankh is a symbol of the key of life.
Tell us about how your portrait of Sizzla came about? I got a commission to create a large mural of Sizzla for a shop in Jamaica. People loved it. I decided to do wood etching for Sizzla and drop it down to Judgement Yard. He loved it and it now hangs on his studio door. I admire Sizzla's creativity and vision in his music - it was a blessing to create for him.
Sizzla next to Napthali's mural
The wood etching now hangs on Sizzla's Studio door.
If you had to do a piece of work inspired by reggae music what would it be? I guess people dancing vibz-ing over music, I would aim to capture the essence of the music the unity of people that reggae music creates.
What is the significance of the pregnant woman in your work? I love to paint pregnant women who are happy in pregnancy. I don’t have a deeper sense or thought around it. I love to paint women in all their forms pregnant, young old strong or happy.
I use women to represent how I am feeling
and will capture them in a variety of moods that will translate into visual
imagery I like to see happy people.
I also like to paint the old churches in
Jamaica because of the architecture and how they are set in the environment of
the hills or on a little road.
I feel I am capturing history in my
finished works.
My series of works on pregnant women attract a lot of positive attention.
Tell us about the Marcus Garvey works? Drawing Marcus Garvey is about remembering the ancestors, as are my paintings of Paul Bogle and Sam Sharpe.
It is a way of remembering them but also if
I am commissioned to create a drawing on a specific person that can then
trigger me to do a well-known person in history such as Bob Marley or Emperor Haile
Selaisse, Tutunkhamon or Ramses.
I paint people in my culture and Marcus
Garvey is a big part of Jamaican culture.
Which is your favourite piece? I don’t really have a favourite piece of work I have a medium I love to work in. I love water colour and also the wood burning that I am currently doing.
