Jonathan Amartey

"I, Jonathan Amartey, was born on October 1957 in Accra, the capital of Ghana. I am always inspired and motivated by my surroundings and my country's rich cultural heritage. This enables me to be more creative in the field of art.

"I've been in this profession for over 30 years and can see how my work has evolved. I started with flat painting, and have moved on to relief painting, which is a novelty here in Ghana. My paintings are unique and exciting in that I use recycled materials in my work, a style that stems from my keen interest in environmental issues. I also specialize in fiberglass relief paintings.

"I use adhesive and wood materials to create the background in my compositions. You might be interested to know that I also carved the patterns on the frames of my paintings.

"When I was young, I used to hang around with my uncle, who was into commercial painting. I always admired his work and wished to be like him. With this strong desire I started to practice painting small objects and improved faster than could be imagined.

"I proceeded to Ghanatta College of Arts where I obtained a Diploma and furthered my studies at Kunst Academy in Austria. I've also taught workshops in New York and in Connecticut, where I taught people about my painting. I repeated these workshops in Austria. I've participated in several exhibitions in Europe and USA.

"The main challenge I face in this profession is marketing my works. It's therefore difficult to live solely on the proceeds from this work. Having said that, I would never leave this profession due to my strong love for art.

"My hobbies include reading, watching movies, playing table tennis and observing people. I am married and blessed with two lovely children.

"In future, I would like to introduce some of my sculptures and one-dimensional paintings. I hope you'll become a patron of relief painting and admire its uniqueness."