Amadou Sow was born in 1951 in St. Louis, which at the time was the capital of the French Colony of Senegal. He spent most of his youth on the island of Goree in Dakar. Goree was one of the largest holding and transport facilities for the slave trade starting in the 16th Century, and now houses a museum in the House of Slaves. "Goree has no automobile traffic. The quiet of the island, coupled with the historical and spiritual presence of the slave trade- is a place where poets and artists can develop their craft and imagination," says Sow.

Sow decided at a young age to be an artist. After attending The National Institute of Fine Arts in Dakar, and the Arts Academy in Vienna, Sow went on to become an internationally acclaimed painter, with exhibits throughout Western Europe, Africa, Canada and the US, including and exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC. For the past 32 years Sow has lived and worked in Vienna, visiting his home/studio on the Pink Lake near Dakar several times a year.

His newest body of work, Sahel Blues, is a series of paintings reflecting his travels in the Sahel Region, which covers 2,400 miles South of the Sahara from the Atlantic Ocean to the Horn of Africa. Senegal, Mali, Sudan and Mauritania are all part of the Sahel. Home to the Fulani, the Dogon and many of Africa's most prominent civilizations, the Sahel is now in environmental and economic crisis.

But the paintings are more than documentary. They reflect Sow's deepest dreams and imagination. Living in Vienna, Sow says that the images and landscapes of his childhood are more intense in his dreams than if he were living full time in Senegal. Vivid blues of the ocean and ochres of the desert permeate the paintings along with painted or scgraffiti (scratched out) symbols which could be words, hieroglyphs or portraits. The landscapes are poetic in

In addition to the gauche on paper works, Sow has brought a collection of his small souwer paintings. Souwer, (from French, under glass) -which we would call reverse painting on glass - is an important Senegalese folk and fine art tradition.

Sow also works under the name of "Bottle Boy" creating useful household objects from recycled plastic bottles. His mission is to help stop environmental degredation as well as to create beautiful art.

He will be holding an informal workshop at Pine Street Artworks on Saturday November 3rd.Come join us to create your own beautiful Bottle Boy lamp. Bring small plastic water or soda bottles. The rest of the materials will be supplied. No registration required, just show up Saturday November 3rd at noon.