M. Saffell & Ibn (Collaborative Partners)






M. Saffell’s Artist Statement:

My departure from representational painting toward abstract works began with my creations of icons loaded with history - from pharaohs to ancient rulers to vessels of enslavement. I have submerged myself in the primal. My work often transports me to my spiritual homeland, the African continent, the cradle of man.

Painting makes me part of the free world in a primal manner. I work from small to large scale, modify my focus, and constantly investigate my surroundings. My smaller pieces become relics that inform my larger works. My larger pieces offer more of a challenge – their ancestral aspects speak to my soul.

I create my works by painting, printmaking, drawing, digital, carving and sculpting. Having worked as a cartographer, my vision is that normal forms are artistic shapes. I use any and everything; from smashed cans to found grids and architectural objects.

The focus of my work is to push the envelope of my subconscious. My current visual vocabulary merges cartography and drafting and is paired with both brilliant and muted hues mixed from dry pigment and balanced with soft and hard edge imagery.