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The electricity! The lights! The cameras! This was definitely one of the proudest moments of my art career. The crowd intensity says it all! Though the performance was so well planned and prepared for, the reaction we got from the 5,000 viewers blew our expectations by a wide gap.

That's me in the white and black checkered hoodie by the way

This painting was done while I was still an undergraduate in Bowen University, Osun, Nigeria. My final year to be precise. Six of my colleagues and I made this performance during a Chapel service with all the students, about 5,000 of them viewing in high anticipation. I can't deny we were extremely nervous!

I will try to explain the whole story behind this painting in three categories:

The Inspiration

The whole concept started in my friend, Idowu's mind. ID as we fondly call him is a highly talented artist, once who sees no media or technique as being out of his reach. He came to me one evening and shared his vision, which was coincidentally mine too but I had not spoken up. This was not long after I started drawing again. I had abandoned drawing for the earlier years in my University program, something I regret to this day, but in a little while started making a name for myself.

This was our pain; we had dance, drama and music groups thriving then on campus, but there was nothing for art and artists. There were a lot of hidden talents that had not been given a platform to express themselves.

So we started a little search, and in a few days we found a couple of brilliant artists. There was Ayo another brilliant painter like ID, another Ayo, highly skilled in comic drawings, Priscilla a beginning but passionate artist and a couple more art enthusiasts who sacrificially offered to support us. We quickly hatched up a plan to send out an awareness of the group we were starting, The Gifted hands, and what better way is there to do that than actually practice art for them to see.

The Planning

We decided to do something quick yet catchy to adapt to the rather short seven minutes or so we were allowed. The Empire TV series was hot worldwide then and of course a trendy topic among students. Coincidentally, weekly episodes were also released online on Thursdays, the same day we had weekly evening Chapel services, the biggest gathering of students, mostly to socialize though. Painting the logo quickly stood out among all the ideas we had. To add extra spice, we also came up with an idea to include a guitar painting with luminous paint, leaving only that visible when the lights are switched off. We listed the materials were going to use and painstakingly contributed to get them, some of us more than others though.

The execution

Big problem! The Bowen University Chapel, the institution's pride, has four wings, the smallest for offices while the other three make up the auditorium.

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It is shaped like a cross if viewed from above. The stage faces the biggest wing directly, the stem of the cross. This will keep the other two wings in the dark. Thank God we had a lot of bright minds present!

We let the Chapel's design guide us, the canvas was divided into three, the biggest facing the biggest wing. We prepared screw holes to attach it together at the end.

By design, each piece of the puzzle did not make any sense until it was all brought together, this left the audience in total confusion until the very end.
Priscilla and I were to paint facing each of the two smaller wings, the top of the guitar falling in my portion. Ayo painted facing the biggest wing, the base of the guitar falling on his portion. ID went round all three wings to paint Lucius Lion's face for more accuracy and theatrics and trust me, theatrics we got!

We selected some solemn music, Adiemus by Enya to be played in the background while we painted. Although there was a little hitch from the media department with the music, causing us to receive some sarcastic applause for a bit, it all still turned out great!

I felt so proud of myself that day, I got a celebrity-like treatment after the show. It's a day I will never forget!

Thanks for sharing this great moment with me. Hope to see you here again soon.

PEACE ✌

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