I was introduced to painting by my father who was a self taught painter. He was a prolific landscapist, and painted mainly images of his many travels throughout Senegal. When asked how he learned to paint so skillfully he would say that he would just let his hand replicate the images of his recollection. I was seven when I started mimicking his quick sketches, but I was more drawn to refining my drawings. This has stayed with me up until now despite the five years I studied Fine Arts at the Unesco co-founded Art Institute in Dakar, Senegal. I was taught various painting techniques and styles at the Institute, including clay modeling and plaster casting. Our Art Instructors were focused on developing our artistic style, and awareness of our artform heritage. Understanding our vast West African Art heritage was also part of a commitment to create a continuum that would preserve the concept/process of an Art that reflects the collective wisdom and lessons from the past, so history of past mistakes does not repeat itself. We developed such consciousness through African Art History classes, studying the purpose and objective of the work of local traditional Art makers and Artisans. Upon graduation, and receiving our diploma in Fine Arts, one of our instructors reminded us that our class of West-African Artists should make a priority of creating Art that preserves our ancestral collective wisdom and teaching because these values represent the humanity we have in common with other human beings within our cultural boundaries,and beyond. The relationships between myths, legends, proverbs, and the creative process produced a legacy of ceremonial masks, sculptures, and other ritual, and non-ritual objects. The symbols and patterns included in these creations carry a meaning taught during rites of passage, and across regional boundaries due to cross-ethnic alliances within the very large Sub-Saharan region, that stretch from the West coast (Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia) to Ghana, and Chad. The passing of time, and the encroachment of the western way of life have impacted the preservation of the meaning of many of the symbols found in ceremonial and ritual objects. It all happened gradually as traditional rituals and rites of passage are practiced away from cities and towns. Consequently, the younger generations do not learn the coded language needed to make sense of the symbols embedded in ritualistic objects, and the mindfulness acquired from knowing these symbols. I grew up in the South of Senegal, witnessing traditional ceremonies, rituals, and rites of passage, in addition to learning about animistic practices at my maternal grandparents’ village home which has allowed me to understand the traditional spiritual thread between communities in West Africa. I also benefited from a rich oral tradition that taught me the link between metaphors and wisdom, and how storytelling provides insight on how we are connected to each other and to nature, and by extension to the Universe. When I paint I add an element of storytelling to my artwork to create a mood that leads the viewer into an internal dialogue with the Art.