Posts

The Elephant Called Nigeria.

Image
Nigeria can be compared to the timeless story of the six blind men on a common mission to understand what an elephant looks like. Each man approached the elephant from a different angle. The first touched its side and declared, “The elephant is like a wall.” The second held the leg and insisted, “No, it is like a tree trunk.” The third grasped the tail and argued, “You are both wrong. It is like a rope.” The fourth felt the tusk and said, “It is sharp and pointed like a spear.” The fifth touched the ear and concluded, “It is wide and flat like a fan.” The sixth held the trunk and proclaimed, “It is long and flexible like a snake.” Each of them was right, yet none of them was completely right. This is how the different geopolitical groups that make up Nigeria often see the nation. Each region, shaped by its own history, culture, struggles, and aspirations, interprets Nigeria from its own standpoint. What one group experiences as truth may seem incomplete or even contradictor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Humble Beginnings

Image
This painting is deeply personal. The three figures you see here tell a quiet story of my father, myself, and the cattle that shaped our daily lives. Long before I understood the language of art, I understood the language of responsibility, learned by walking beside my father and tending to what sustained us. He stood as a guide steady, watchful, and rooted in wisdom. I followed, learning not just how to care for cattle, but how to endure, how to observe, and how to respect the rhythm of life and land. The cattle, in their own way, were more than livelihood. They were part of our story, our survival, our connection to something greater. Looking back now, I realise those moments were not ordinary. They were the foundation of who I have become, both in life and in art. Every brushstroke I make today carries an echo of those early days, of footsteps on warm earth, and of lessons passed quietly from father to son. This is more than a painting. It is memory. It is gratitude....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Weighing of Values

Image
Title: The Weighing of Values Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size: A4 Portraiture Date: 2026 Artist: Matthew Medupin Inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Apple Basket” metaphor, this work explores the quiet but necessary act of self-examination. In life, we gather values, beliefs, and convictions over time. Some formed through experience, others inherited without question. Like apples in a basket, they sit together, appearing whole at a glance. Yet not all are sound. Some begin to decay, and if left unexamined, they risk corrupting the rest. The solitary figure, absorbed in contemplation, represents the individual confronted with this responsibility. The act of holding a single apple becomes a moment of scrutiny, an inward pause where one asks: What do I truly hold as valuable? The scattered apples suggest that not all can remain contained; some must be brought into the open. The darkened fruits speak to the presence of flawed or outdated values, while the balance scale in...
Post a Comment
Read more

When Loss Becomes Direction

Image
As I reflect on my journey, I am drawn back to 2008, the year I lost a job I had clung to as though my life depended on it. At the time, it felt like an ending. In truth, it was an unveiling. What I once saw as security was perhaps a limitation in disguise. In losing it, I was gently pushed toward paths I might never have chosen: coaching, philosophy, and art. Each opened a new window into understanding not just the world, but myself. I have come to see that life does not always guide us through certainty, but often through disruption. What appears as loss may, in time, reveal itself as direction. The journey, I now realise, is not about holding on, but about becoming. #WhenLossBecomesDirection #JourneyOfBecoming #PhilosophyOfLife #ArtAndReflection #TurningPoint #PulseOfCreation
Post a Comment
Read more

Who Owns the Earth?

Image
Title: Who Owns the Earth? Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size:16" x 20" Date; 2026 Artist: Matthew Medupin This painting reflects on one of humanity’s oldest and most persistent conflicts. This is the fruitless struggle over land and the belief that divine authority justifies human claims to it. Two men stand in confrontation, each convinced that the land beneath their feet was given to him by God and that he is fighting a holy battle to reclaim what is rightfully his. As their conflict unfolds, a divine presence appears above them, reminding them of a truth humanity often forgets. The earth was not created to belong permanently to any one person. At the centre of the painting lies a small 6 × 6 space, symbolising the only piece of land that ultimately belongs to each of us. This is the place where we will all finally rest when our time on earth is complete. The work invites viewers to reflect on the temporary nature of human existence and to ask themselves a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brazil: A Distant View Through a Father’s Eyes

Image
This painting was inspired by a photograph my daughter sent to her mother while she was in Brazil. The image captured a landscape where a mountain rises behind a line of buildings, with a river and a road moving gently through the scene and dense vegetation spreading across the foreground. Rather than attempting a precise reproduction of the photograph, I approached the scene as an interpretation. The mountain stands as a quiet but powerful presence, while the buildings beneath it represent the modest footprint of human life within a vast natural environment. The river and road guide the viewer’s eye through the composition, suggesting movement and connection across the landscape. The foreground is filled with vibrant vegetation and varied colours, reflecting the richness and vitality often associated with tropical environments. A lone palm tree stands prominently, acting almost like a marker between cultivated space and the wider natural world. Although inspired by Brazil,...
Post a Comment
Read more

The MAM Coaching Life Balance & Performance ModelFrom the Value Life Balance Self-Coaching Workbook by Matthew Medupin (2011)

Image
Introduction Human life is often experienced as a series of decisions, reactions, and outcomes. Yet behind every action lies a deeper structure that shapes how we think, feel, and behave. Over time, I became interested in understanding how this internal structure influences the way people live their lives and respond to challenges. The two models presented here were developed as part of my Self-Coaching Workbook published in 2011. Their purpose was to provide a simple but practical framework to help individuals reflect on their thinking, understand the sources of their behaviour, and make better decisions about the direction of their lives. The first model, The 9-Step Ladder, explores how a person’s life gradually unfolds from the inside outward. It shows how fundamental elements such as values and beliefs influence expectations, attitudes, and thoughts, which in turn shape actions, habits, character, and ultimately destiny. The ladder illustrates an important principle: long-term outc...
Post a Comment
Read more