Art Design Consultants Exhibition!

My sculpture, "African Queen" was just accepted into an exhibition at ADC Fine Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. To find out more about the gallery and the exhibition, visit their website: http://www.adcfineart.com/

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: NNAMDI OKONKWO

Anyone who knows my work knows that I adore sculptures of beautifully voluptuous women, which is why my new Artist Spotlight is on Nigerian sculptor, Nnamdi Okonkwo.

Nnamdi was drawn to art from a very young age. Later he realized that he could best express himself through three dimensional art. Around this time he was also introduced to basketball, which he was perfect for at 6' 9". He was recruited by BYU-Hawaii to play for their team, and graduated with a BFA in sculpture.

Currently living and working out of Georgia, Nnamdi creates both monumental and small scale sculptures.

I found out about his work while we were exhibiting at the same art show in Florida last year.

One of my favorite of his sculptures is a monumental installation in Harlem, NY, called 'Friends'.

Here are images of his other phenomenal work:

Source: http://www.nnamdiart.com/

Like Nnamdi, many of my pieces are of round figures. A number of my sculptures were also inspired by my travels through Africa. 

Visit www.ninawinters.com to see more of my work.

SCULPTURE OF THE WEEK

This week I'll be sharing the story of my piece, "Great With Child", that was recently added to the art collection of Joseph Shabalala, singer of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The back story begins 24 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was at a standing room only concert at the Ritz in New York City, and the room became too crowded for the safety of my unborn child. I went upstairs to the "Press Only" area and was greeted by Joseph Shabalala, founder of Ladysmith, with the words "You are great with child. Come, sit with us". Several years later, when my daughter, Hana-li, was a young child, we went to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo play again. I wanted to introduce Joseph and his group to her, the child that I had been so "great with" at their previous concert. But as much as I tried to get us backstage, security wouldn't even let us get a message to him. I finally yelled his name, with as much intention as I could muster, into the far reaches of the backstage area. A few moments later, he appeared at the entrance. I asked him if he remembered when I was "great with child" at the Ritz. He nodded and said that he did. I then gestured at Hana-li and said, "Here, this is the child." Joseph brought us backstage, and soon the whole group had surrounded her, smiling and taking in the child that had listened to their concert while still in the womb. This sculpture is dedicated to Joseph Shabalala, lead singer for Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in the memory of his kindness. It is now on it's way to his home in South Africa.

SCULPTURE OF THE WEEK

This week I wanted to share the story behind my bronze sculpture, "The Kiss". Inspired by a multitude of cultures, this piece is about the timeless pleasures of dance, passion, life and love. The figures are attached  to a black marble Lazy Susan base to further incorporate the flow of their movement.

SCULPTURE OF THE WEEK

Last week I sold "African Queen" to a lovely woman from Palm Harbor who had seen an article about me in the Tampa Bay Times. I wanted to share the story behind the sculpture. Years ago I traveled with my daughter to Africa for three months. One country we visited was Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world. While there, a teenage mother tried to give me her infant, and I met a man who lived in a one-bedroom house with his family of 35 people. Most people cook, eat, work, socialize and sleep on the street. It was a life changing experience. Every day I would sketch and make notes. This sculpture is from a sketch of a woman who, although she was extremely poor, carried herself like a queen.

SCULPTURE OF THE WEEK 5/23/12

I wanted to share the inspiration behind my piece, "A Girl in a Golden Anklet". When my daughter, Hana-li, was very young, I ran into an acquaintance. The woman was wearing a silver necklace. Later, Hana-li asked me where the "girl in the silver necklace" was. I loved how my two year old daughter identified this woman by her necklace. I decided to make a sculpture based on this idea. This sculpture depicts a young woman, supremely at ease within herself, identified only by her golden anklet.

African Queen

Sculpture of the week 11.16.11

This week I wanted to post something about my piece, "African Queen". I traveled with my daughter to Africa for three months. One country we visited was Mali,one of the poorest countries in the world. I met a man who lived in a one-bedroom house with his family of 35 people. Most people cook, eat, work, socialize and sleep on the street. Every day I would sketch and make notes. This sculpture is from a sketch of a woman who, although she was extremely poor, carried herself like a queen.

SCULPTURE OF THE WEEK 8/22/11

 

This week I wanted to give you the background on my piece "Great With Child". It was created first out of clay, then cast in bronze. I then patinaed (colored) it with dark rich black-browns, and polished areas to a shining gold. The story behind this piece comes from when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was at a standing room only concert at the Ritz in New York City, and the room became too crowded for the safety of my unborn child. I went upstairs to the "Press Only" area and was greeted by Joseph Shabalala, founder of the headlining group, Lady Smith Black Momboza, with the words "You are great with child. Come, sit with us". Several years later, when my daughter Hana-li was a young child, we went to see Lady Smith Black Momboza play again. I wanted to introduce Joseph Shabalala and his group to her, the child that I had been so "great with" at their previous concert. But as much as I tried to get us backstage, security wouldn't even let us get a message to Joseph Shabalala. I finally yelled his name, with as much intention as I could muster, into the far reaches of the area backstage. A few moments later, he appeared at the entrance. I asked him if he remembered when I was "great with child" at the Ritz. He nodded and said that he did. I then gestured at Hana-li, so small and mesmerized, and said "Here, this is the child." Joseph brought us backstage, and soon the whole group had surrounded Hana-li, smiling and taking her in. The child that had listened to their concert while still in the womb. This sculpture is dedicated to Joseph Shabalala, lead singer for Lady Smith Black Mombazo. The memory of his kindness finds its home in this sculpture.

Visit my website to see all of my work: www.ninawinters.com

And feel free to email me with any questions: Nina@ninawinters.com

Sculpture of the Week 8/15/11

This week, I wanted to write something about the inspiration and technique behind my piece "Fly, Fly, Little Wing". Cast in bronze, this piece was then patinaed (colored) with reds and browns, and the face and hand were polished to a shining gold.
The idea for this sculpture came from Celine Dion's song "Fly". In her song, a young girl leaves her body at death and flies away. It takes the sadness of death and turns it into the beauty of finding new life.
 

"Fly, fly, Little Wing, far beyond imagining, the moon will rise, the sun will set, but I won't forget..." 

I wanted to make a piece that represented this uplifting idea. 

When I began making my Wearable Sculptures, I decided to take the bird from "Fly, Fly, Little Wing" and create a necklace that incorporated the inspiration from the larger piece, yet still had its own unique voice. I call this Wearable Sculpture "Freedom to Fly". It is cast in bronze, like my larger works, then put on a handmade necklace of bronze chain and ribbon. I hand patina (color) each Wearable Sculpture, so they are all unique. "Freedom to Fly" is a wearable reminder that we can all take flight and rise to new heights. 

Both pieces are dedicated to my sister, Judith.