ZIMBABWE - Roselyne Marakasi (b.1977) trained as an artist in Zimbabwe, immigrated to the United States in 1999 and is now studying in Kentucky. Her paintings are characterized by the use of a lot of blue and small brush strokes. Harare is a commentary on the “Sunshine City”, a place where one sees vast discrepancies between the rich and the poor. The once clean streets have become infested with waste and are now home to abandoned, orphaned and abused children. Food is very hard to find unless you are wealthy. Melancholy is an autobiographical piece, reflecting how Roselyne felt upon first coming to the United States, “I felt so alone, depressed and bored – my relatives here didn‘t understand me; I didn’t want to be understood by them and they offended me.” Not Talking is a sensitive rendering of arguments between two people, and how it affects their postures. While the dispute is clearly evident, her use of the palate knife softens the “thick” atmosphere. In The Clay Pot we see a man sitting holding a clay pot, a symbol of fertility and sustenance all over Africa. Women were the pot makers in Zimbabwe, but here the pot, losing its functionality in modern times, is meant to evoke beauty, the womb of mother earth or the foundation of life. No Time to Grieve, tells us burials are frequent, due to many reasons, AIDS above all. Roselyne says, “You barely have time to grieve before you are called away to another funeral.” She also likes to do small paintings, and The Painter is a charming autobiographical piece, showing her working in her relatives’ crowded basement. A dedicated painter will always find a place to paint!