'New to painting' artist featured at Quincy library

QUINCY - Although he has only been painting for a little over three months, Quincy artist Cheikh Diouf already has one public exhibit under his belt.

Diouf's debuted his first showcase, a series titled "Oh Quincy Land," at the Quincy Public Library in early December.

Diouf, a native of Dakar, Senegal in West Africa West Africa, moved to Quincy about seven years ago with his wife, Wendy, to be closer to her mother.

It was a tour of Quincy and a subsequent conversation with his wife about agriculture in the area that eventually inspired him to put paint to canvas, said Diouf in a recent statement.

Diouf said he and his wife went on several Saturday tours that the City of Quincy offered, and on one of them, they were joined by Carl Weber, an early pioneer of the town.

"We traveled to Babcock Ridge to the land that Carl's family had homesteaded. We were on the bus overlooking the Columbia River when Carl stepped away from the group and began to sing "Oh, Quincy Land" at the top of his voice," he wrote. "It was apparent that the words were special to him. I wished there was a way I could capture it as it so impressed me."

In August, Diouf and his wife began talking about the changes in the crops, the irrigation systems and other related topics.

"I began to visualize how I saw it and could capture it on paper. At that very moment, at age 59, I had never thought of painting," he said. "I don't even doodle, but decided I wanted to try."

Diouf went to Ephrata the following day and came home with a paint brush, a canvas and tubes of acrylic paints. He got right to work and created the first painting in his "Oh Quincy Land" series, a geometric design with different shades representing the Columbia River, sprinkler systems and a hay stack.

Diouf said he considers himself an abstract artist.

"I just take a canvas, select colors, play with brushes, pallet knives, and sponges, layering paints for depth and texture. It's all organic/raw," he wrote. "It is just what my head and eye sees. I seldom know what the exact outcome will be."

He said he enjoys hearing what others see or feel after looking at his work, and encourages them to use their imaginations when looking at his pieces.

"I love hearing what others see, usually no two see the same thing," he said. "That's what I love and inspires me. That is the beauty of abstract art."

While his surroundings often inspire the things he paints, it's his background that inspires his choice of colors. Diouf said vibrant color is part of everyday living where he's from.

"Walking the streets of Dakar is a painting, seeing women, men, children dressed in magnificent flowing traditional dress, vibrant amazing combinations of color, nothing drab! You can not get away from color in Senegal," said Diouf.

Having his work on display is still a bit of a shock for him. When he first started painting three months ago, it was mainly for his own enjoyment and to share with family and friends.

He never expected to sell any of his work, he said.

"Never would have expected this from just one Sunday, one brush, one canvas, 10 paints and 'Oh Quincy Land' sung by Carl Weber," said Diouf. "I am thrilled and honored the Quincy Library has invited me to show my paintings."

"Oh Quincy Land" can be seen at library through March.

The Quincy library is located at 208 Central Avenue S. They are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.