Chris Ofili: Afro Muses Chris Ofili was awarded the Turner Prize in 1998, the first painter to receive it since Howard Hodgkin in 1985. Born in Manchester, England, his work is best known for infusing his Nigerian heritage into his artworks, particularly his use of resin-coated balls of elephant dung. Ofili's early works draw on a wide range of influences, from Zimbabwean cave paintings to 1970s blaxploitation movies. By age 42, he had won the Turner Prize and was invited to join the Royal Academy. His art often times has references to popular culture, gangsta rap and racial or sexual stereotypes. Drawing from his African heritage influences, his "Afro Muses 1995-2005" watercolor series focuses predominantly on heads of men and women. These works are part of a daily ritual painting for the artist. He arrives at his studio at 9 or 10 in the morning then sets aside a corner for watercolors and drawings. First, he tears out a sheet of paper, always the same size, 6 by 9 inches, then he gets started with some pencil marks then watercolor over it. He'll take about 10 minutes on average to finish one, sometimes doing just one a day or a whole group of ten over the course of a day. Instead of just doing this in the morning, he will return to doing watercolors in the evening when he has a tough day, as a way to calm down. For Ofili his watercolors were liberating, it was all about the colors and the faces that he drew compared to his big paintings that are like performances, that drains the artist of energy, thoughts and self-reflection. His collection of "Afro Muses" mostly depicts men and women in whimsical dress and expressions. Art Cellar Exchange has two of Ofili's "Afro Muses", both of which are great examples of the rest of the watercolor collection and done during the year that he won the Turner Prize. "Untitled - Afro Muses, Rainbow Blouse" is a portrait of a woman wearing a richly colored blouse with bright red lips and a unique ballooning hairstyle. "Untitled-Afro Muses, Hair Crown" is a portrait of a woman wearing an elaborate blouse with a decorated collar and a fantastical and elaborate headdress. Like these two watercolors, everyone in the collection is dressed in bright African garb, intensely detailed and richly colorful. The two paintings offered through the Art Cellar Exchange are women drawn in three-quarter poses wearing vibrant costumes with colorfully painted jewelry and unique hairstyles. All of the people in the series grew out of his imagination, inspired by images he sees in the media or on the streets. Ofili is one of the Young British Artists who is now based in Trinidad. His paintings have been exhibited in many important exhibitions including one earlier this year at Tate Britain which will put on a mid career retrospective exhibition of his works up to the present. Untitled - Afro Muses, Rainbow Blouse, 1998 watercolor and graphite, 9.4 x 6.1 inches PRICE ON REQUEST Untitled - Afro Muses, Hair Crown, 1998 watercolor and graphite, 9.4 x 6.1 inches PRICE ON REQUEST