Stacked, one on top of the other, all 33 individual petal-shaped vertebrae expertly interlock to support the integrity and formidable energy of their vessel, Roshi, as she prepares for the deep backbend Urdhva Dhanurasana.
Taking in a deep inhalation and finding her Drishti, she shuts off the world around her and transports herself to a higher realm, guided by her third eye. Now overbrimming with enlightenment, her crown chakra succumbs to the pressure of the intensity of the womanly wisdom whirring in Roshi’s mind and a lavender haze bursts from within her, solidifying as it collides with the pure air surrounding her body.
Caught in a trance, overwhelmed by her new knowledge and love of self, the vertebrae slowly pull apart, activating a deep stretch of the thoracic cavity, opening space for the heart to breathe in new life. Fully aligned with the sun, the heart emits a pink luminescence that radiates all over her body, as the process of releasing repressed pain and suffering begins.
As her lungs are gently filled with the lavender swirling in the atmosphere, bringing clarity and tranquillity to her mind, each exhalation forces out Anger, Inadequacy, Fear, Guilt and Resentment.
As these emotions of old negativity dissipate, her open and receptive heart consumes with gratitude the love and compassion bound in the pink aura illuminating her body, pliant like the stem of a lavender following the whimsical whistle of the wind.
Supported by the corset-strong core muscles, the vertebral column locks, parallel to the horizon, allowing Roshi to fully bask in this love enriched moment as her body suspends magically in mid-air.
This painting, aptly named Roshi, now featured on LIFEWTR water bottles, is the creation of American- Nigerian multi-talented artist, photographer and fashionista extraordinaire Dawn Okoro. In a recent interview, she explained that having been enchanted by her friend Roshi’s ‘purple personality', she set out to encapsulate this aura on a canvas. The result is a magnificent story of the majestic and mystical energy of a wise woman, who masterfully manipulates her body, intending to, expertly, engineer a showering of self-love. At first sight, I fell in love. Confessing that she just wanted to feel free like her friend and creative Roshi, Dawn gushed as she explained to me the creative thought process behind the painting that is part of her Punk Noir collection. As I listened, consumed by awe, I became more and more enamoured with the creative mind behind an image that had spoken so clearly to me. Dawn, who I consider to be a 'Creative' in its purest sense, spoke of a life trajectory that inspired me. The sheer resilience and determination of this woman are highly commendable and inspiring. Her discovery of self-acceptance as an artist is what I believe has shaped her into one who is fully active in this almost spiritual process to articulate to the world what lies deep in her psyche.
Talk us through your journey into art.
It started as a child, just really enjoying drawing and being good at it. It was my favourite thing to do, but at the time, I did not know how to be an artist. No one in my family understood either. They just wanted me to be, in their eyes, successful, secure and stable, and I get that. So when it came time to go to college, I studied other things. Initially, I planned to be a doctor, so then I started taking chemistry. Sometime later, I was like, "wait a minute, let me try something else." In college I studied psychology and also fashion design, which I really enjoyed the most, then I graduated. I knew I really wanted to pursue art, but I had no idea how and I still had a fear of, I guess, looking like a failure and not having anything going on in my life. Eventually, I went to law school and whilst there, I continued doing art. I eventually got an internship at a law firm. When they found out I was an artist, they hired me to do portraits of their family members, so I made extra cash doing that. I hated law school. It was one of the hardest things I did, especially as I don't have the passion for it.
How did you transition from Law to Art?
When I graduated from law school, I thought, "Ok, I'm just going to dive into art." I didn't really have anything to lose at the time, so I packed up and just moved to New York. That was an interesting experience. I got to show my work there and I also got the chance to meet other artists who were already in their careers. They gave me some good advice. I loved the city and enjoyed taking in the energy of it. But, I moved at probably one of the worst times possible; we were in an economic recession and that was tough. I ended up moving back to Texas. Looking back, I think I would have done things differently, but I was frustrated. That is why at the time, I just decided to give up art. But, I continued painting. I would work on stuff only a few times a year and I didn't finish much. I just focussed on getting a stable job and just building stability in my life. I became a journalist, that is what I did for years. I learned a lot through that. It is where I learned to do some videography and things like that. As the years went on, I just was not happy. I felt like I was waking up and just doing the same routine- just going through the motions. It just felt like my life was passing me by and that's when I decided that I needed to do art. So, I just got back into it very slowly. I started finishing off some of the paintings I started years ago and took up some opportunities to show my work and that’s how I got back into it. I’ve been doing it ever since.
How has the exposure to all of those different industries impacted your art practice?
Going to law school helped me to express myself through writing and articulate myself better in words. Whilst attending law school, I also had to learn a lot about contracts and as an artist, I deal a lot with contracts. I went to Texas Southern University, so I had to move to Houston Texas. Houston has a very vibrant scene, so being in Houston, I got to meet artists there and I got to meet artists that believed in me and were willing to mentor me. Being a journalist has just given me different ways of thinking - it pushed me into learning about videography. I was a TV news producer for a long time. Eventually, that translated into me producing videos of myself doing my work, and I created a web series on youtube. There are definitely some things that overlap with my day job and art stuff that I really enjoy.
How has self-belief impacted you as an artist?
Self-belief is something that I definitely struggle with. When I initially went to college, I wanted to study art at university, but I also wanted to look like I was going in the right direction. I didn't want to let my family down or let myself down, so I went in another direction. By the time I realised I needed to do art, I had already gotten so deep into other things.
In the US, as an artist, it is expected that you will attain a Masters in Fine Art. I couldn't get that, so for a while, I had some insecurities about that because some people would say, “Well, your art looks great, but let me know when you get that MFA.” Even when I had a successful art show, I’d always get asked, “So when are you thinking about going to get your MFA?” It's something I've definitely been thinking about over the years, but looking at how I feel now, I'm not sure, I don't think I need it. I’m happy I have an art practice. I am living forward. But in the past, my fear and not fully believing in myself made it difficult for me because when I did apply for things, and I’d get a rejection, to me it shouldn't have felt that way, but it felt like there was a voice saying ‘Look! You're really not that qualified for that, "You're not good enough for that." I should not have listened to that voice, but that did make it very difficult-it's definitely something that I still have to push through. For me, the solution is to get out of my head and think objectively and not emotionally, and just do it, apply to things and just let it go. That's how I push through it.
How would you describe your practice?
I am an artist that works in several different mediums. Right now, I am producing a lot of paintings. I’ve done some video work, I’ve also done some fashion, and I like to collaborate with musicians for album covers and also with companies. My work is also on a water bottle. I create work that has a lot of reach into a lot of areas. Overall though, my artwork is something that is supposed to touch many areas of culture. Growing up here in America, exposed to many cultures, it would have been interesting to have seen an artist like me when I was a child and teenager, this black woman creating these colourful pieces. I’m the artist young Dawn needed in her life.
Describe your process from inception to execution.
In the past, the ideas kind of just flowed in naturally. They started as ideas repeatedly in my head that I would eventually write down. A few years ago, I did a show in Texas called Punk Noir, and that just came from where I was in my life at that time. The ideas were repetitive and kept cropping up until finally, I started to focus on an area more and then things just began to crystallize. Over time, I had a clear idea of just how I wanted the images to look, as a collective, and the types of colours I wanted to use. With the Punk Noir situation, I was feeling a fresh energy here in Texas amongst the black creative people. So, I reached out to those that were around me at that time, those who were impacting me, my friends, I guess, who just happened to be creative in some way. I then looked at what I wanted the overall collection to say, and then I used these friends as models for portraits. After taking photographs, I looked at them all to gauge what I was feeling. I then picked out certain poses to paint. From there, I made out a mental sketch of what I wanted the paintings and composition to look like when complete. I generally work one piece at a time until I have a whole series done.
What is the symbolism behind the metallic stroke in the Punk Noir collection?
A few years ago, after being inspired by one of my mentors who uses gold leaf, I started playing with an imitation gold leaf. I had also seen a piece by an American artist, Barkley L. Hendricks, that he did in the late 60s of this woman with this big afro, wearing black, standing with such confidence in her presence. The piece, called Lawdy Mama, had gold leaf on it. I found out later that she was a friend of his and a lawyer. It is one of my favourite paintings of his. After I saw it, I thought, "Let me just experiment with some gold leaf as I really enjoy the texture of it." I looked at the price of real gold leaf, it’s expensive, so I decided to play with copper leaf because that is a lot more affordable. I also like that it conducts electricity, so I feel like I am playing with energy. In some of my paintings, I use it to express the idea of pushing back against something. I show this by obscuring the face of the subject with the copper leaf. I did this with my Punk Noir paintings because I was trying to express that even though black music is the origin of punk, it evolved into something perceived as a white thing. I was scratching out parts of black people’s faces to show the erasure, and the metal is a way to push back those kinds of things.
How does your race impact your art practice?
When I work, I definitely feel more comfortable representing what I am- representing black people. My work is also a way of telling the story of who I am, and race is obviously a big part of that. I'm also keen to explore different parts of my ancestry through my art, showing the experience of being a black American who has Nigerian heritage. I have always felt like there is a gap between me and the Nigerian part of my ancestry. I have used my art as a way to reach out and grab that back. My mum is a black American, and my dad was Nigerian, but I grew up with only my mum, who remarried. I was, therefore, fully immersed in American culture. It has been until later in my life that I have learnt more about my family in Nigeria.
How is your Nigerian ancestry impacting your practice?
It is very personal, in the sense of just connecting more with my actual family from there and hearing stories. For me, it is also an act of reclaiming. When I initially went to Nigeria, it was for sad circumstances because my dad had passed away. I went there for the funeral and stayed for a couple of weeks. Whilst I was there, I visited Lagos and spent some time in South-Eastern Nigeria, in the village where my dad grew up. I went to the family compound where my grandparents had lived and just about connected with the land. When I was there, I also absorbed local fashion. When I came back, I was inspired to incorporate the patterns in my artwork. I also felt compelled to learn more about the symbols that have been used like the Nsibidi and Uli symbols. I have incorporated some of that in my Punk Noir paintings. I’m actually hoping to spend some more time there next year and show some of my work there and interact with artists there. That would be ideal.
Click on the image of Dawn below to find out more about her and her practice.
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