THE ICONIC AF SERIES
Season 1
Season 1: The Musicians…
This series of paintings consists of three separate but related seasons. The seasons differ in the sense that each one points to a different discipline. At the same time, the seasons are intimately related because they are all disciplines and people from which I draw inspiration. The three seasons in the IconicAF series are as noted below:
Season 1: The musicians
Season 2: The fighters
Season 3: The thinkers
All of the paintings in the IconicAF series are made predominantly with four acrylic paint colors: Ivory black, Iridescent rich silver, Titanium white, and a hint of a fourth base color which changes from piece to piece. Brief descriptions of each of the pieces in IconicAF Season 1 are provided below.
James Marshall Hendrix
S1, Episode 1: “Voodoo child”
24”X30” ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS
status: sold! (hillsborough, ca)
Full disclosure here… I’m about as big a fan of Jimi Hendrix as you’ll find anywhere so my objectivity on this matter is probably slightly warped. The style of his guitar playing is readily recognizable in my own guitar playing because I spent a ton of time copying and learning from the great man. I unfortunately never got the chance to see him in concert because he died way before I was born. If you haven’t listened to some of his iconic tunes (such as “Little Wing”, “Bold As Love”, “Wind Cries Mary”) I highly recommend that you do. This is the first piece of work in the “Iconic AF” series.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
Bob Marley
s1, episode 2: “soul rebel”
24”X30” ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS
status: sold! (santa rosa, ca)
I grew up in Nigeria with Iconic tunes from this great man blaring through pretty much every transistor radio in every local kiosk on every corner. My brain still takes me back to particular places and times when I hear some of his songs. Bob Marley was and remains a legend to us Nigerians and especially to me because of his courage and his musicianship. I mean this man literally got shot at during a concert and went back to playing the very next one as if nothing happened. When asked why he’d risk his life, his response was simple. I’m paraphrasing here, but it went something like: “the people who are trying to make the world worse aren’t taking days off, so those of us trying to make the world better can’t either”. I mean damn dude… #respect. This is the second piece of work in the “Iconic AF” series.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
John Lennon
s1, episode 3: “imagineer”
24”X30” ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS
status: sold! (santa rosa, ca)
Johnny Lennon and the Beatles are iconic. Full stop. I dare you to argue with me on that! The round rimmed spectacles are about as iconic as it gets in the music world. When I first sat down to start formulating the ideas for this series it became clear to me almost instantly that my iconic musician series would simply be incomplete without a Beatle. I chose Johnny because of his otherworldly song writing skills which I have always admired and taken inspiration from. Don’t ask me why, but blue rimmed spectacles just seemed right at the time. One of my dear friends called them “the business” when she first saw the piece… much to my amusement. This is the third piece of work in the “Iconic AF” series.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
Tina Turner
S1, Episode 4: “the best”
24”X30” ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS
status: available
This one is special because it was requested by my facebook fans. Yep… we conducted a poll of folks on the IconicAF shortlist with a google spreadsheet believe it or not and Tina Turner won out. She was a staple of my childhood. I can still hear tracks like “what’s love gotta do with it” and “the best” blaring through my sister’s car stereo. Tina is an incredibly strong woman to have put up with Ike Turner for all those years, and to come out of all that drama and still be going strong. This is the fourth piece of work in the “Iconic AF” series.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
Ray Charles
S1, episode 5: “ray of georgia’s son”
24”X30” ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS
status: available
I have always admired and drawn inspiration from Ray Charles not just because he gave us some of the most iconic and catchy tunes ever, but because he did all that without his eyesight. Ray started going blind as a young boy and staggeringly still found a way to learn the piano and flawlessly play it. It couldn’t have been easy to find the audacity as a young black blind man to believe he could entertain the masses on the world stage, but he did it anyway. Actually, when I think more deeply about that last sentence, it becomes apparent that Ray wasn’t really thinking about entertaining millions of people… rather, he just followed his bliss which is a serious life lesson. Every time I am in a funk as an artist or as a man period, thinking about Ray’s journey is always a shot in the arm to keep going after it… no matter how impossible “it” seems. This is the fifth piece of work in season 1 of the “Iconic AF” series.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
Fela Kuti
S1, Episode 6: “Shakara Oloje”
24”X30” Acrylic Painting on Canvas
status: available
This man is a source of pride for every Nigerian born person alive. Equal parts fearless, reckless, musically gifted, and courageous, Fela Kuti serves as an emblem of inspiration for our people. I remember riding home from Church with my Father after every Sunday morning mass, listening and singing along to iconic tracks such as "Shakara Oloje" (my personal favorite) and "Water no get enemy". In many ways, Fela's music is the sound track of the lives of many Nigerians... mine included. Regardless of wether you choose to purchase this print, I highly recommend going over to YouTube after you read this and introducting yourself to some of the music brought to us from the ethereal to the tangible by this great Nigerian Icon #GoogleHim.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
Prince
S1, Episode 7: “Purple Reign”
24”X30” Acrylic Painting on Canvas
status: available
“When doves cry”, “Get Off”, “Kiss”, “Cream”, and “Purple Rain” are just a few of the amazing hits brought to the world by this remarkable man. In life, the word genius gets thrown around way too often, but in the case of Prince Rodgers Nelson, “otherworldly genius” is the only phrase that I can think of that accurately describes this man’s talent. I’m pretty sure he played every single instrument on his first album which is just ridiculous! He was sublimely skilled with the piano, the guitar, and the bass guitar. Being a guitar player myself, I know how difficult it is to master just one instrument. To think that he mastered 3 plus instruments is just mind boggling. He was a gift from the divine for all of us, and a source of inspiration for me. His albums were basically the soundtrack of my life from the ages of about 5 to 16 and I’ll remain forever thankful for that.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.
John Mayer
S1, Episode 8: “Where the light is”
24” X 30” Acrylic painting on canvas
status: sold! (brooklyn, NY)
John Clayton Mayer is the reason why I started playing guitar in the first place. I remember listening to the album “Room for Squares” for the first time in my junior year of college and falling in love with the sultry melodies and catchy rhythms throughout the album. He has given the world timeless tunes like “slow dancing in a burning room”, “gravity”, “who did you think I was”, and “waiting on the world to change”. These tunes all still serve as the soundtrack of many of our lives, and will continue to do so for decades to come. He is no doubt an otherworldly talent, arguably the best guitarist that ever lived. Thanks for inspiring me to pick up that electrically enabled piece of sound making tree Johnny, and welcome to the Iconic series.
Without Wax
Chuba Oyolu Ph.D.