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Art has really been a part of her ever since she was a little girl "...But my artistic talent didn't just start now, as a young girl growing up in my grandmother's village, I used to love creating things. See, we didn't have toys of any sort, so we had to make them ourselves. I used to make dolls and all sorts of things to play with"
Wawi, also known as Cynthia Grace Wawira Ndwiga, was born in the rice district of Kenya in East Africa, known as Mwea, and was raised in a small village about 220 miles from Nairobi in Embu district by her grand mother. During her junior year in high school, she left her studies in Kenya and moved to Los Angeles California to join her mother and her two brothers. She obtained her B.A in Communications from Chapman University in Orange County.
It is during her interactions with her artist neighbor that she re-discovered her talents and passion for painting. She immersed herself in this renewed interest and very quickly, she began to express her ever active imagination on canvas, using brilliantly vibrant colors and themes. Everyone around her marveled at the beauty of the work she was producing and with the support of her family and friends, she was able to put together her very first art show.
Wawi draws the inspiration for her art work from her back ground. Her themes are based on the Kenyan culture, with a great concentration on African women. She grew up around many women in Kenya and now that she is so far away from there, she uses her past experiences to represent her admiration for them in many of her paintings. What is distinct about her art is the lack of facial features on the figures, to portray "...the faceless nature of African people as viewed by the rest of the world..."
Now Residing in Santa Monica, California, Wawi has devoted her life to her passion; to "...make art that inspires people to love and be kind to one another...to promote life, unity, family and relationships in general." She will continue to hold art shows in Los Angeles and in the San Francisco Bay area over the next few years while at the same time discovering and exploring different mediums, in her efforts to provide inspiring art to her already growing fan base. | 
