Painter Tafa, domiciled in the U.S, has been named the American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) Sport Artist of the Year (2010).

TAFA competed against other artists from around the world for the honor. He was nominated by Paul Goodnight, who was the 1997 Sport Artist of the year. TAFA lives and paints in New York. He is originally from Ghana and is the first native African to win the award.

About his sport art, Tafa said: “Myth, worship and ritual is what attracts me, the arena as a landscape or the athlete or player as portraiture is not what inspires me. Sport as a metaphor for life and faith fascinates me - our collective allegiance and dedication to the gods and deities of the game, the mass psychology and identification, almost prehistoric and primal. It is the mythic power of the stadium, the arena, which has become the new basilica and pyramid, synagogue and temple.”

TAFA’s heavily textured oil and mixed media paintings of arenas capture the energy, intensity and color of the game. In Game 7 (Just like Nike), a 56x67in mixed media painting, he brings to life the thrill, sound, motion and general atmosphere of the arena. The mammoth crowd is registered with dabs and splashes of thick paint.

“I have known TAFA personally and exhibited with him on numerous occasions for the past fourteen years,” said Goodnight. “TAFA is a wonderful human being, a brilliant artist who is very well respected by his peers, the art community in New York and internationally.”

TAFA’s style has been described as blending musical rhythms, textured strokes, lush hues and spirituality. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree (1st class) from the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

ASAMA Curator Robert Zimlich said: “TAFA’s use of a pallet knife is the best I’ve seen in a while. He effectively uses it to create energy, and sport art without energy is just a still life.”

TAFA aka Tafa Fiadzigbe has been exhibited in a numerous galleries and institutions in the United States, Europe and Africa. His works are part of private and public collections in the Superior Court in Washington D.C., Fort Frederik Museum, Sparrow Hospital, Michigan, Ghana’s national museum, Carver Federal Bank and Danforth Museum. TAFA’s art was exhibited at the Academy during a public art show on Thursday, 21 January 2010.

TAFA can be reached at 917 518-9970, tafastudios@aol.com.