A Microcosm of my Artistic Journey (The colourist era)

My journey through the university was somewhat adventurous, it was a whole new terrain where we had to paddle the canoe ourselves. What kept me in the game was curiosity and certainty, giving the fact that we had to compulsorily take courses from Theatre, Music and Visual art, though that was in our first and second year. It took God to keep my head straight 😩. 

Well, I was sure I wanted to Paint without any shadow of doubt but the little problem was how? We were green horns from secondary school, we had only little knowledge about painting. Well, I had tried my hands on some water based mediums due to curiosity and my love for painting. I also, once saw a professional painter, though from a distance, he had a studio in the same compound with a family that I and my mum do supply "Kunnu", I was in secondary school then. Anytime I go to supply Kunnu, I will stay outside the studio and observe how he works those strokes 😍. I didn't know that was Sam Ebohon the great 🙌🏾, I just loved the play of colours in his paintings. I wouldn't say anything, I just observed from afar. So subconsciously, that style registered in my head. 

Back to my University experience, second year, we stumbled on painting. Mark the word "stumble". Many of us knew nothing about "painting", my only saving grace was my affinity with the studios of the those ahead of us. I will always visit their studios, quietly, as usual, I just observe from a distance, though at some point, I had to start asking questions. This was my shock absorber, when the "painting challenge" came.

Fast forward to year three. Thank God for Universal Studios of Art 😩. That was were I began learning the rudiments. All we were doing before then was "guess-work". One of our instructors Mr Josh Nmesirionye, saw one of my paintings and asked if I knew Sam Ebohon. I said I didn't, unknown to me that it was the same painter I observerd from afar during my "Kunnu selling days"😂😂. I got to know he still lived around my area. So for the first time, I went to his studio, introduced myself and I began observing his style closely. He is a man of great wisdom. Well, as usual, I started painting like him😏. I would have continued in that stead if my painting lecturer, Mr Bolaji Ogunwo, had not insisted I stopped. 

This birthed an era in my painting voyage I would call "THE COLOURIST ERA"...

To be continued...

N.B. The painting above is my final year project.