Oil on canvas
Stretching the Drum:
Heating the skin surface of the drum to the tautness desired by the drummer before the dance. Children with the Kinkelaba (medicinal and sacred plant) wreath around their head for good luck and good health, while waiting impatiently for the dance, watch and learn from the experienced drummer the secret of drumming. The long dark shadows created by the fire in this particular painting emit a mysterious atmosphere of this remote village in a beautiful country of the west coast of Africa: The Republic of Guinea.
From the islands of Halong Bay to the dusty back roads of south Texas, Lap Ngo has traveled the world. His paintings are an expression of his journeys. They speak to us as beautifully as the "Bride" in the African Series tells us of her wedding day. Lap captures life in all his paintings from all his worlds whether that is a European village or a forgotten castle in Morocco.