Details

First Name

Francisca
Last Name

Mutapi
Username

franciscamutapi
Website

http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/francisca-mutapi
Region

Edinburgh & The Lothians
Disciplines

Painting
Themes

Abstract, Figurative, Landscape, Portraits

Statement

Statement

I paint and draw because I have to. The subjects, colours and compositions compel me to capture them in a moment. My first publicly exhibited painting was a poster to advertise ‘Tree Planting Day’ in Zimbabwe which was selected for exhibition at the National Gallery in Zimbabwe.  I was 12 and I was hooked! And now that I think about it, I do not remember ever getting it back!  It was a painting of 2 halves- one half with a tree crying after being cut for firewood and another half with a smiling tree being planted (or at least that is what I believe I painted). I remember that the painting elicited a very diverse set of reactions from people who saw it as they worked out what I had painted. Since then, I am interested in people’s reaction to my artwork which varies from young children telling me my abstract painting is clearly upside down to adults convinced they see a piano hidden in the painting- sometimes the work is upside down and sometimes there are hidden pianos or other objects in the work- it remains for you to find out

Biography

Biography

I live in Scotland, in Edinburgh, and on the Isle of Lismore on the west coast of Scotland. I was born and brought up in Zimbabwe and have lived in Harare, Oxford, London, and Antwerp. I am a practicing visual artist who has been painting and exhibiting works for over 30 years in Africa and the UK. Showings have included group and solo exhibitions including in the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Commissions have been undertaken for clients in Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and the UK. My artwork has been used for posters, cooperate calendars, and book covers. Wherever I am, I always try to interact with local artists by attending art classes, summer schools, and lessons and have done this at the University of Oxford, Edinburgh College of Art, Antwerp, and Edinburgh.  I call Europe and Africa home and the subjects of my work come from these two continents. Africa inspires vibrant colours while Europe gives exciting light patterns to my paintings. I am particularly interested in pattern and form in nature and capture these through figurative,  naive and abstract paintings.