Kelemwa Fida
Kelemwa is an Ethiopian Artist currently residing in Addis Ababa.
She has been painting and designing various products for decades. Kelemwa hold an exhibition every few years to display new collections of art, inspired by themes that are prevalent within her life experiences.
Currently, she has a gallery called 'Kelem Art Gallery', a play on her name 'kelemwa' which means 'her paint, or her colour'. In this gallery Kelemwa sells her paintings, interior design accessories, personal products, leather products, woodwork and more. Kelemwa also teaches art to yound aspiring artists.
Read her personal story below.
My Story
Painting has been a gift from God and became a huge part of my life. I love to paint – especially landscapes, still life, flowers, and animals. Through time, I developed my talent by learning distinctive styles and techniques living in different countries the past two decades. I organized exhibitions to share my paintings with friends and the public in Sri Lanka, Jordan, and Ethiopia.
I like a variety of mediums and my art work includes acrylic, oil, and water pain; many of my paintings follow this trend. Working on these different styles gives me the flexibility to work on a variety of paintings with confidence, ease and without restriction to my painting process. I am realistic and expressionist, and that gives me the comfort to paint pictures reflecting real life.
During my childhood, I traveled locally in Ethiopia with my parents. I had the opportunity to see different landscapes, animals, people, and cultures. Because of this, I grew to love and admire natural things. This grew as I had the chance to travel to many parts of the world. I lived in many different countries, mainly in South-East Asia and the Middle-East. I have seen various kinds of natural habitats, cultures, and amazing natural sceneries. My paintings reflect the memories of the variety of places I have seen and help me to further connect with all my past experiences.
Designing and interior decoration is also a hobby of mine. I design and make women and children’s clothes, including my friends and family; my sewing machine is my best friend. I enjoy decorating bed rooms, dining tables, kitchens and sitting rooms in creative ways. Cooking is also my hobby. I enjoy cooking diverse kinds of cuisines for my family and friends. Traveling to different parts of the world helped me to learn new recipes and I love to try different cuisines from different countries. I never run out of ideas in terms of what to cook.
In all my effort, faith is my strength and God is at the center. I will work according to His will and follow His guidance.