Charles YeroOuma Baldeh
CHARLES BALDEH
My Inspiration
My journey started in High School in Gambia in the late 80s with my Indian art teacher, Mrs Ram Gopal. She was there to nudge me up the steep slope of my artistic endeavour. That was my empowerment.
Even on holidays in the countryside, at night, I could hear the echoes of Mrs Gopal’s voice long after I went to bed, and only the muffled voices of the village elders broke the stillness of the African night; ‘do not be afraid to use colour. It’s your best tool.’ And I latched onto Mrs Gopal’s every word, as if it had biblical magic, and in many ways, it did, because today the bold colours and vibrant scenes of my paintings have been influenced by Mrs Gopal, my art teacher’s instructions.
My Training
After High school, I received further training from three American Peace Corps volunteers that trained young Gambians in acquiring technical skills in art. My artistic blossoming is thanks to my mentor, tutor, critic and guide, American Peace Corps volunteer Mrs Trudie Crites of Long Island, New York. She taught me how to focus on images, visibly or mentally, to bring them to life on canvas. Nature is complex and my depictions capture that essence in all its intricacies.
