PAINTINGS

Drawing from a rich cultural heritage, artist Gebrelu G. Dessu explores the spiritual and physical wisdom of the world. Using mixed media, he gets inspiration from the ancient Byzantine era. His work explores inner truths and world views. The circle is present in all of his art; he uses it because it explains life, light, motion, and feeling, all of which radiate, rather than emerge, from the circle. Everything is to be either found in the circle or will come from it.

Gebrelu paints in water colors, oil, and acrylics on a variety of materials including wood, dried animal skin, canvas, small sculptures, and ceramics. He also uses string and other materials in collages. He is trained as a muralist and was commissioned by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Nairobi, Kenya to paint a monumental mural. He titled the mural Angel in recognition of the enduring influence religion has had upon his art.