Empowered Women International

Meseret and Mekbib’s Story: Persistence, Hope, and Inspiration Help This Husband and Wife Artist Team to Succeed

June 2010 — A blob of paint, a splash of color, a swirl of motion. These elements merge to form images on each canvas.  In one, a man and woman are dancing joyfully together.  In another, a crowd of people sway in a vortex of bright light.

Over here on this wall, the mood is calmer, more reflective. An old woman sits on her doorstep, her worn face wreathed in smiles. A young girl gazes at a flower while the warm sun shines all around.

Meet Mekbib and Meseret – two professional artists in the Washington, DC area who have forged a life together through mutual respect for their differing styles, personalities, and approaches to their craft.

Both are shy at first. They’re modest and soft-spoken.  In fact, you might not guess that they each have university degrees in fine arts, and that they both are internationally renowned and have won awards.  It’s only when they talk about the art they’ve created and inspired in each other that their shyness dissipates and they really start to shine.

Mekbib’s eyes light up when he talks about his wife’s work. “I like her strong focus and technique. I like the educational aspect of how she captures emotions. And her colors! I can see a vibration moving in the eyes [of her subjects]; this is influenced by her color choices. It’s an impressionistic ability that I admire very much.”

Meseret is equally admiring of her husband’s talent. “I’m impressed by the variety of things he does. He’s a hard worker, and a philosopher. I learn a lot from him, especially about how to talk about art. I especially like his new style. Earlier this year, he had a wave of new creativity, creating a new line of 56 pieces in one month – it was about 209 hours. I know, because I was keeping track!”

When asked, Mekbib says he’s most interested in exploring large social themes such as human rights, the origins of all humans, and social justice. He likes to include imagery with symbolic meanings that can speak to future generations.  He sees part of his role as an artist is that of present-day historian. “That’s one reason why I’m drawn to history and historical figures,” he says.

And he doesn’t just mean famous historical events like Hurricane Katrina, or figures such as Jesus, Martin Luther King, and Barack Obama (although he’s incorporated all of those into various works), he also wants to capture on canvas the smaller moments of our time.

Once, he painted a scene of women in his native country gathered by the riverside to do their laundry by pounding the wet clothing against rocks.  Someone asked him why he chose such a mundane subject. “Because this is a dying tradition,” he remembers saying. “Someday, no one will be able to see this. And my painting may be part of the only record that something like that used to take place.”

While Mekbib prefers to explore grand themes, Meseret focuses on the smaller, more intimate scale. Her paintings tend to be portraits or “figurative painting.”  She’s fascinated by facial expressions, and how to capture them in her work. “I’m not very good at talking about my feelings,” she explained. “But I can express my emotions through peoples’ faces in my art.”

Her subjects also tend to interact with nature in some way. They’re outside in open air markets or in front of their houses. “For me,” Meseret says, “Nature represents freedom and the absence of walls.”  She also explores the themes of hope, women as mothers, strength, responsibility, and inner beauty.

Despite many challenges along the way, this husband-and-wife team have dedicated themselves to being professional artists. Today, they may live and work in the Washington, DC area, but they still have strong emotional and inspirational ties to their native Ethiopia where their artistic journey began.

“I have been an artist pretty much ever since the moment I could hold a pencil,” Mekbib recalls. “I was drawing at a very young age, and my mom encouraged me. But I couldn’t see doing it as a job.” Determined to pursue a more practical career, Mekbib was preparing to study to be an engineer when his mom sent him to art school instead.  “That’s where I met artists (including Meseret) who helped me see it as a serious profession.”  Mekbib majored in painting, but has experience working in all kinds of media, including sculpture, relief, and even computer graphics.

In contrast to her husband, Meseret always knew she was destined to be an artist.  Of course, there were a few doubts along the way.  Whenever she compared herself to others, she would become intimidated for a while. Also, while her dad supported her by paying for materials and the like, he wanted her to pursue a more serious subject.  But Meseret persisted. She started at night school, then got accepted into the full-time program during the day. Her major was mural art, but she also works in mosaics, frescoes, macramé, and string collages. She likes evoking impressionistic techniques through the use of color and texture. “Bright colors mean hope,” she says. “That’s why I’m drawn to them.”

Hope was something the couple needed a lot of when, in 1995, the government of Ethiopia changed and life turned upside down.  Mekbib’s father, who had worked for the previous government, was jailed as a political prisoner. Because of that, for a while Mekbib couldn’t get a job anywhere. Somehow they managed to survive those difficulties, and to keep up with their artistic endeavors.

Finally, the couple obtained diversity visas that enabled them to come to the United States. They arrived in 2001 just a month or so after September 11th.  That first year in America was difficult. They lived in a tiny room in a friend’s apartment. Mekbib enrolled in college to study computer graphics and to improve his English. Meseret studied English as well.

Through it all, they kept right on painting. They carried their sketch books everywhere – on the metro, on the bus, in parks, walking down the street. When in the small room they shared, they would paint while sitting on the bed. Mekbib facing one way, and Meseret facing the other, they each would prop a large canvas against the wall and rest it on their knees.

Sometimes, it seemed as if the painting was bigger than the room. “I worked on this one painting,” Meseret recalls. “I called it ‘Responsibility.’  It was 40” x 36,” which was huge compared to the room! But I felt strongly that we had the responsibility to keep going and not give up on our art. I poured that emotion and determination into that painting and into others I worked on during that time.”

Later, Mekbib got two jobs, which allowed them to get their own apartment. He worked in the field of computer graphics, and channeled some of his artistic talent in that direction. However, he never forgot his first love, and kept right on painting. More recently, he’s gotten commissioned work –from the DC government – to do various projects, including a large wall mural and a stained glass window.

In 2002, Mekbib and Meseret came in contact with Empowered Women International (EWI). They enrolled in the business incubator program. It was EWI’s founder, Marga Fripp, who helped them arrange their first gallery showing.  Because they had never stopped painting, they had accumulated plenty of artwork. And they had prepared for such an opportunity. “Still, there is nothing like that moment when someone steps forward and wants to buy your painting,” Meseret says with a sense of quiet awe.

“It’s true,” Mekbib agrees. “We both sold several paintings that day. We had sold a few other paintings in the United States – to friends, or to their friends. But this was the first time we sold our work to customers in a professional business setting. That was the moment we really knew that we could make it here in America as artists.”

“EWI has helped us tremendously,” Meseret says. She notes that EWI continues to provide gallery space to allow them both to showcase their work. The organization offers support and advice and counseling about the business side of being an artist. “And they’ve helped us feel like we’re part of a community,” she concludes. “That’s why we want to work with them to help other artists who are facing the same challenges we have faced.”

As Mekbib and Meseret prepare for the arrival of their first child, they are optimistic about the future. They still struggle, but it doesn’t stop them from pursuing their passion for art. Whatever challenges may arise, they are determined to just keep on painting through it all.

Written by Jody Uyanik

Jody Uyanik has worked as a writer, trainer, and international development consultant in more than 30 countries over the last twenty years. She has assisted artists and entrepreneurs from Casablanca to Katmandu, and designed and delivered training to folks from Tegucigalpa to Taipei.

These days, Jody is focused on helping nonprofits that support women and the arts. Her motto is “let me help you tell your story.” And she is writing all kinds of things, including grant proposals, online courses, documentary scripts, web content, and even children’s plays. She also helps her husband run his small business in their hometown of Alexandria, Virginia.