Chetan Melche Gbedemah - The young talented painter
You want to know a lot about Ghana and Africa through painting, your best option is through the works of 18-year-old painter, Chetan Melche Gbedemah, a former student of Morgan International Community School at Swedru in the Central Region.
Chetan is a young talented artist who portrays the culture and lifestyles of Africans in her paintings.
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Her notable paintings depict the beauty of African gatherings, which are usually characterised by singing and dancing; the rich ornaments and fabrics in Africa and many other indigenous artworks.
A few of her paintings though have a touch of the European way of life so as to be appealing to a large range of people.
Speaking to the Junior Graphic at the offices of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, Chetan said although she had not yet organised an exhibition, her paintings were on display on her instagram page.
She said individuals who visited the page and were impressed with her works, often commissioned her to do various paintings for them.
Her paintings
Chetan said she had specialised in abstract and realistic paintings because she loved to be
Abstract paintings deal with works that cannot be defined realistically.
They are illusions that cannot be related to everyday life situations.
These kinds of paintings deal with a lot of colours, she explained and added that realistic paintings are those that can be seen and include figure drawings, a bowl of fruits, etc.
Chetan said she started drawing when she was very young by watching her mother, who is equally talented in the arts, drawing various artworks and drew along with her.
“I, however, did not take painting seriously until much later in 2013 when I was in high school at Morgan International Community School, where I pursued a course in art.
That gave me the opportunity to practise more, often building my own canvas frames (a piece of fabric that is laid on a frame of any size or shape on which she does her paintings),” she added.
“The school helped me to learn a lot about painting — the artistic terms, artistic history and practices which broadened my knowledge of art. My brief stay in Brazil where I took art classes also helped me a lot,’ she disclosed.
Chetan loved to spend her spare time drawing so much so that although she was in boarding house, she sometimes sought permission from her dormitory mistress so that she could take her tools for painting to the dormitory to paint.
She said she started with paintings on Africa because “as a Ghanaian, I’m surrounded by so many things about our roots so I wanted to create a visual representation of those things I experienced in my work of art.”
Most of her artworks were selected for display during exhibitions in the school.
Prizes
Through her paintings, Chetan won several prizes in school.
They included Best Art Student for two years in a row and Most Talented Student. She also participated in many events, including being a Volunteer in a primary school as a creative arts teacher.
Chetan says she intends to develop her passion for painting far in life. Her aim is to aspire to become a professional studio artist.
She attended the Blue Bird Preparatory School, East Airport International School and Escola das Nascoes (School of Nations) in Brazil.
