Past Work: One Of My Earliest Oil Paintings

I was at Port Harcourt recently where I spotted an early painting, which was leaning on a wall in my brother's office. Seeing that piece of work took me back almost two decades!

I had just discovered the oil medium and was still struggling to learn how to manipulate the thick, sludge-like paste that was completely different from watercolours! The work was done on cardboard hence the framing.

Past Work: My Early Oil Paintings

Though I did some oil painting during my undergrad years, I remember getting pretty serious about the medium after my graduation. I bought Walter Foster instruction books on painting and tried to learn on my own- part of the reality of being self taught. I bought mainly Winsor & Newton products because the only major art supplier around was a distributor. They were very pricey! That was a really expensive hobby for me (and for my parents who footed the bill). Most of my works then were abandoned as I travelled to Port Harcourt for my post graduate studies (in Engineering).

Years later, I discovered my parents had kept my works and later displayed them around their home. Just looking at then takes me back. It wasn't all fun then, I had a really difficult time understanding and getting used to the vast difference between using watercolours and oil painting. But today, those are fond memories.

Past Work: Portrait Paintings For My Sisters

 

A few years back, I made portrait paintings for my sisters, Arin and Oye. The paintings were oil on canvas with simple wood frames. I neglected to snap photos of the works on completion but later received these snapshots. Just my way of saying thanks to two wonderful women who have encouraged and supported me over the years.