Nigerian artist turns Mahogany sawdust into art
The first time we saw Stephen Okeke, it was to admire his life-size sculptures of famous figures from Belize’s past. We next found him turning commonplace items like coconut shells and cohune leaves into arts and crafts. Today News Five’s Patrick Jones found him working with a new medium.
The flashy pieces of wood sculptures are the brainchild of Nigerian artist Stephen Okeke, the man who has a knack for working miracles with junk.
Stephen Okeke, Sculptor
“When I came around I found a lot of wood shops. The lumberyards they have a lot of wood byproducts; a lot of sawdust, a lot of wood shavings and they throw them away. Some don’t even have way to dispose of them.”
Not one to see such useful material go to waste, Okeke loaded up his truck and the process of turning sawdust into works of art was set in motion.
Stephen Okeke
“I’m more comfortable with mahogany dust. In fact I’m practically impatient with wood. I mi work with metal; I mi work with fiberglass; I mi work with stone. But when it comes to wood; I’m a little bit impatient with wood. So to make up for that difference I decides to work with something else that would still give the same quality of wood and still not get me at wood.”
Okeke says that with the flexibility of the material he works with, the hardest part of his job is coming up with the designs…the rest is elementary.
Stephen Okeke
“To make the plaque using the sawdust requires firstly making a pattern for the sculpture. That is the original model. After you have made the original model then you make a mold of it from the using of the sawdust come in.
It took me sometime to get the real mixture I’m using now but it fundamentally entails mixing the resin with sawdust in addition to the hardener and pouring it into the mold.”
Depending on the quality the artist is looking for, the special mix of mahogany saw dust, resin and hardener can take up to three hours to set, after which the rough edges are smoothened, a little varnish is added and the plaque is ready for sale. Okeke says he tries to make all his creations native to the country he now calls home.
Stephen Okeke
“What I made so far they are all from Mahogany. I made sure they’re all from mahogany so that it will be originally Belize. It’s also to show the other uses of the same mahogany byproducts we are throwing out everyday.”
The way Okeke does his work makes it an inexpensive undertaking so his pieces don’t cost the consumer an arm and a leg.
Stephen Okeke
“It, basically, it’s not expensive because everything that you use for the art can be procured here in Belize and most of the tools I use are things you find around your home. I make that so as to go with my philosophy of being the indigenous technologist instead of waiting to get them from outside. Who want to bring them here? So that it could feed our own locals.”
Okeke is no fly by night artist. He boasts an impressive resume of creations from scrap material, including collapsible ovens and handbags from coconut shells. Apart from putting his artwork on the local market, Okeke is also offering his expertise to non-profit organizations and young people interested in starting a cottage industry. Patrick Jones, for News Five.
Okeke’s latest project is a larger than life statue dedicated to the citrus industry.
