Twelve months, twelve paintings by Zimbabwean artist Joshua Strydom.
All of the birds in this calendar come from "(i’m)migration", my ongoing series about borders, belonging, and what home means after living in eleven countries.
I paint birds because their bodies are built for distance. They read the seasons, cross lines nobody drew for them, and keep moving. Each one is built up feather by feather in acrylic and charcoal, on grounds of red, gold, deep blue and textile pattern.
Two paintings sit outside the series but come back to the same question.
Ukuthandwa, “to be loved,” is a cow standing calm among oversized fuchsias. It’s a painting about how much steadiness ordinary domestic life can give you.
Hwenyati shows a herd of buffalo I photographed in the Zambezi Valley and spent about 250 hours painting. The title comes from a Shona proverb: a buffalo should only call the grass its own once it has reached its stomach. It’s a good thing to keep in sight for a year; I saved that one for December as a reminder to persevere through the entire year.
Details
14.8 x 40 cm vertical format, wire-bound with a hanger
Printed in full colour on 250 gsm silk-coated paper (100 lb cover)
Printed to order, close to where it’s delivered so you do not pay import dudies.
