It was a chilly Friday evening. I had dropped by to introduce one artist to a potential client and grab a cup of Americano. The artist in question plies his craft under the umbrella of Isubyo House of Art.

Isubyo is a Kinyarwanda word which means tree trunk. The brains behind the establishment of Isubyo have mastered the art of converting logs into whatever pleases the hearts of their esteemed customers. In doing so, they exceed the lofty expectations of those who never compromise quality.

Isubyo House of Art was founded in 2017 by four young artists. Their gifted hands transform pieces of wood into treasures. Every log they touch turns into gold.

This post is not designed to feature Isubyo exclusively. It is about what transpired during Friday’s coffee break. If you have been following this blog for a while, you must be aware of the site’s Coffee Break segment. The venue of my latest coffee break is Kaso Outdoor, a coffee shop affiliated with Isubyo House of Art.

Located on KN 41 Street, Kaso Outdoor is artistically designed. Upon arrival, I had a quick tour of the facility. Creativity was in the air. I could feel and smell it. I was there to facilitate a meeting, but I found myself inside the minds of artists.

One big painting on the wall attracted my attention. It is an artistic impression of books hanging on the branches of a huge sycamore tree. A man is reading a book under the shade of the said tree. A few yards away, a woman seems to be placing a crown on her head while throwing away a pair of loose handcuffs. There is a lot to unpack here.

When we see a new billboard on our way to work, our brains perform a split-second process of absorbing a cluster of components and filtering the message it’s meant to convey. To figure out what a painting communicates, we need to slow down that process and avoid jumping to snap conclusions.

On my way out, I had a closer look at the painting on the wall. I intend to have a conversation with the artist who crafted it and get to the bottom of his inspiration. When that happens, I will paraphrase his artwork right here.

There is more to Kaso Outdoor than simply coffee. From the look of things, coffee isn’t Kaso’s core business. We will find out one of these days.