I was glad to have a second
chance to visit Ghana in November 2022. I had been there before Covid and had
done a few studio visits of Ghanaian eminent artists and as always intrigued
with the workspaces of artists, had planned to do the same this time as well,
along with other activities. November
and December were a complete art treat for me as there were many exhibitions
taking place in the city of Accra, the capital of Ghana. Met old artist friends
and met some new artists as well.
My first visit was to Larry Otoo
Sir studio where I asked if he can connect me to some established artist from
the younger generation and he recommended artist C-Kle . And thus, I reached C-kle
studio where I got to know that his name was Clement Laryea and his signature
or artist name was C-kle.
Clement Laryea known as C-kle is
a Ghanaian artist born on the 15th June 1982 in Accra. He graduated as a Visual
Art student who studied theoretical aspect of art. He then continued by
learning fine art and sculpture designing through apprenticeship for five
years. C-kle has a passion for painting,
mostly portraits in an abstract style. He works in acrylic, oil and charcoal
medium. He says his aim is to let the world know that if it can be done, then
we can do it and his aim is to exhibit his modern African art all over the
world.
An Art therapist, philosopher
and preacher of art, he loves to help the less privileged ones. He creates
inspiring contemporary art and portraits of people from Ghana, his home
country. His work is sold throughout the City of Accra in tourist hotels, malls
and galleries as well as internationally like The Parallax Art Fair in London
and The Art Revolution in Taiwan. His work has given him continued exposure and
sales throughout the world.
I was greeted warmly by C-kle . this was my first acquaintance with him. He looked very determined artist full of humanity. His studio was a separate room in the premises of his house, very much accessible at any moment. His artworks were very vibrant and as I spoke to him, I felt that his paintings spoke the language of healing
Thank you for your precious time. To start with, we would like to know more about you and your artistic background.
C-kle is my signature. You can call it my brush name. Without
this name, you will not be able to reach my website. I am native Ghanaian and I
call myself Therapist because I provide a variety of treatments through my
paintings. Looking at my paintings people say that if this can be done then I
can also do it. I send a message through my paintings. Clement Laryea is my
name, C-kle is my signature and what really represents me is Art Therapist.
I completed junior and senior high school from 1995-2001. After
a year gap I went into apprenticeship for 5 good years. I learned a lot there,
like printing T-shirts, doing panels, doing photo backgrounds, video posters
etc. I discovered impressionism after my apprenticeship in 2007. And from 2009
I started selling these works in hotels and galleries in Ghana. For 16 years,
till date I have been painting and my works have gone all over the world. I am
a family man with 3 kids and trying to build up a 2-storey building for my
family which will also host a gallery and my studio.
A small percentage of my painting’s sale goes to the street
children, the less privileged ones. I have been doing this for last 3 years. My
purpose of painting is to touch lives through them. Humanity needs to be
understood. We artists are so blessed that a painting can heal somebody. Once
they are healed, they need to be fed and after feeding them I preach them, I
teach them Gospel. This is about humanity and not about religion. Every soul is
a soul. I want to go back and tell the society that if I can do it, they can
also do it.
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I normally gather unused clothes and then we move together
with clothes and food to bless the needy, every Christmas. In fact, I plan to
do this twice a year, one on my birthday in June and another in the later part
of the year. But first I want to complete my building so that I do the charity
work further with a clear mind. So, this is why I paint, to gather money and
touch lives.
Ok, in short, we got to know what C-kle is. Coming to the artworks, how did you develop your style of painting?
Every artist needs to have a goal. I mentioned earlier about preaching the needy ones. I pick a word for e.g.; this piece tells you to be careful of what calls your attention. Think twice and concentrate. When I talk to people, I pay attention and take title from that discussion and I derive my subject matter from it. My original work can be recognized by the embossed marks made during the finishing touches to the painting.
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How do you navigate the artworld?
There are thousands of artists in the field now and thus a
huge competition. What I realized was, to some people its not about what they
are painting but about who they know. People purchase as they know these
artists. But as an Art Therapist I find my way out by doing something new. It
doesn’t matter if I know the people or they know me. When you are doing
something new, the world will look out for you. I know a quote which says that if
you paint what you like, you paint for your soul but if you paint what world
likes then money turns you. If you want to hit the international market, you
need to be different and have to make sure that your painting carries weight,
it has something that will touch the body, the soul and the spirit.
But how do you market your art? I believe you have social
media presence.
Yes, I have a website. I normally post my artwork images on
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. When people see the works, they come straight to
the gallery where they are exhibited or they contact me. I communicate with a lot of people through
social media which has helped me grow my business.
Are there any artists whom you are influenced by?
I do have a lot of influences. A Nigerian art collector
based in USA has a great collection of artworks from different artists. Seeing
his collection, I am able to develop a lot of ideas but that has not changed my
art style. My technique is the same. Though I take ideas from different
artists, my painting style, my brush strokes don’t change. I keep learning from
the inspiration from around.
Are you looking at, reading or listening to music to fuel
your work?
I am moved by music. I dance while painting as I enjoy what
I am doing. When my kids are around while painting, we all dance together, it inspires
me. I feel, when I love my painting, it is appealing to the world as well. My
wife calls me a dancing artist.
How will you describe the subject matter if your works?
When I talk to people or when I preach, I take a title or a
word from the discussion and derive my subject matter from it. I get my
concepts from these titles. I keep a record of these titles in a book. For e.g.,
while you are talking to me, I caught a word “oh I see”. Now I will work around
this word and try to build my painting around it. Life is all about a book with
pages. You can’t keep reading the same page every day. Its an error. This is
where I derive most of my subject matter from, which is something to provoke
you, prompt you, push you, to alert you that its time, do it now.
Looking at your portraits, do you paint from a live model
or do you have photo references?
I see a picture and I add a few stuffs to it. The color
concept is purely out of imagination. Every artist needs to be creative. What
makes me unique is adding more life to what I see. I spend most of my time in
creating the pictures that I want to paint.
Can you share with us the process of your painting?
For my portraits I use scaling, by ruling lines making sure the
portrait is correct. I normally use these lines because it helps me to get
exact picture as I am more into portraits. I normally start with the dark
portions and then I begin to apply the colors from my chosen color scheme. When
I am done, I use palette knife for the final strokes which makes my painting “C-kle”
painting.
You use a range of tools, like brush, palette knife, pens
etc.
Yes. I want to try charcoal as well. Looking at my painting,
I wish people should start thinking what all tools and mediums have been used there.
I don’t want to do what others are doing rather would want others to do what I
am doing and I would be moving to next step.
Do you work on multiple canvases simultaneously and do
you work in series?
When you are trying to paint and you are getting what you
want, it doesn’t mean that you should not paint again. You simply put that one
down and start another. That is what strikes me to paint more than one
canvases. I do like to work in series. I am trying to come up with a new series
titled “Mental Picture”. People need to decode the mind of those who are very
quiet by nature. Do watch out for this series.
Surely, my best wishes for that. Would like to ask the
question which is asked to every artist, when do you know that your painting is
finished?
This is a good question. A philosopher in me has a quote
that says that the work done passionately does not necessarily need a perfect
finishing. When I paint passionately, I feel the edge when I am done. Sometimes
I feel this edge in 1 hour while other times I may get this in 3 hours or more
based on how satisfied I am.
You are a studio-based artist. What does a physical space
mean to you and how much time do you spend in studio?
Big and sufficient space is very important for an artist. Every
now and then you need to watch the painting by standing back at a distance. My
previous studio was just a quarter of what I have now but very soon I will be
having my own gallery with a big studio. So, I think every artist needs a
proper space for the studio. Since my studio is closer to my house and my room,
I can say that I spend 23 hours in the studio. Studio is my friend and that is
where I am based all the time. I also teach students sharing my knowledge to
them in the studio.
Have you ever had to deal with rejection or have ever
felt like giving up?
Yes, there were my dry moments. Some artists take prints of
canvases and sell it digitally at very cheap price. That is the reason why
people don’t buy original paintings and that’s the reason I hate prints. It was
a dry moment for me when I almost made up my mind to give up painting but then
I realized that there are trials and errors in everything you do. What keeps me
moving is the reason why I started painting again. I started painting to touch
people’s lives and now I can’t give up. That is what my subject matters are, wake
up and show up. Now I think there is nothing that can frustrate me about
painting. I am a full-time artist now.
Can you tell us where and under which Master did you do
your apprenticeship?
I learned from an artist called Daniel Jasper, who does
video posters, realistic posters. I studied realistic aspect very closely for 5
years but during the last phase he had to travel to USA where he spent 2 years.
When he was away, being a senior apprentice, I got a chance to teach the
younger ones and in the process I learned faster. People still come to my
studio to get my guidance.
You are now an established artist; you have gained a lot
of experience from the challenges you faced in your art journey. What are your
thoughts on this generation of artists? Have you achieved what previous
generation were not able to achieve?
What I have achieved so far from the older generation is the
humanity. I have been privileged to get a lot of help from artists like Larry
Otoo, Wiz Kudowor and many great artists because I am humble. You learn only when
you listen. I take what they have in addition to mine.
So, the previous generation has been a stepping stone in
your art journey. How has this country helped you as an artist?
Ghana has benefitted me right from the beginning. As an
artist, who has works at prestigious galleries and selling every month, has
been a blessing to me.
Do you think that Ghana has enough infrastructure to
support the talent produced here?
I will say no, with an apology. We pay taxes as citizens and
there are a few things that we need to benefit. There are so many talented
artists but there is not enough space to prove our talent. We have just one
National Gallery. Only if the works are mounted on the wall of the gallery, it
will reach more people. When one person can do it, the others can do it too. By
the time you realize we are building out something wonderful that will touch
and heal the world.
What are your thoughts on the development of art scene in
Ghana?
It is far better than before. In older days people were not
privileged to go to art school, art opportunities were few. I can now fully
depend on art unlike old days. Art has changed in our generation. I believe
that if you are able to do something that can touch lives, it can feed you
throughout your lifestyle. I keep saying this as an Art Therapist. I don’t
chase money, what I look for is people’s challenges, needs, problems. If I make
sure that I am able to meet their needs then my services are paid. In short art
scene in Ghana right now is good.
Apart from the gallery that you are building, what are your
upcoming projects?
I don’t want to look into one bottle with two eyes. The ongoing project has to be completed first and that needs my concentration. My next project will be building a number of houses and renting it out. These paintings do pay all the needs but I believe I must have some properties that can feed my coming generations. I think I will be fulfilled when I am done with this.
Ok, so that is your life plan but coming to your art, will your art be seen elsewhere apart from the gallery that you are building in future?
Yes, I do look at different avenues for exhibition to let
people know that these works can be found at my gallery as well.
Are your works into international market?
Yes, I have been exhibiting for last 3 years. In Parallex
Art Fair, London and in Taiwan as well. My works are going to Ohio, USA. I have
also been featured in different art magazines.
Through Face Book. The world is looking for something
different. If you are unique in your own way, God shows you a way connecting you
to the people.
Have you participated in Art Fairs and Residencies?
I exhibit all over. As long as networking is concerned you
need exhibitions, art fairs. I made a lot of contacts through these. I haven’t
had a chance of art residency. I have applied a few places for the same and
hoping to get into one very soon.
My best wishes for the same. You are now established by
overcoming all the challenges in your artistic journey. Based on that, what
will be your piece of advice to the emerging ones?
I have very simple advices: first is know God, don’t do bad
things. Know your work and it will be paid. Second is keep moving ahead. No
matter where you are and what your surrounding is, keep moving through all the
challenges. Third is bless the needy ones from whatever you get out of your
painting, make sure they benefit from it.
Thank you, C-kle for this friendly talk. I wish you the
very best for your ongoing and upcoming projects.
Born on 15th June 1982 in Accra, Ghana, C-kle
lives and works in Accra. His works can be viewed on his website:
https://c-kle.webs.com/
