Friday, July 14, 2006

Nigerian born artist Kamoru Sarumi with his painting of the Leader of Government Business Hon Kurt Tibbetts.

Nigerian-born artist Kamoru Sarumi has learnt how to paint over many years of painstaking study and training, just like the master artists of old.

For Mr Sarumi, traditional techniques and skills are what painting is all about, and although he has tried his hand at some abstract paintings, it is realism Mr Sarumi loves most of all.
Mr Sarumi began his study at the age of 16, by talking to the street artists of Lagos, before studying painting and sculpture at Lagos University.

After leaving university he began painting professionally.

His favorite scenes were scenes from nature, including studies of African animals, landscapes and seascapes, but his main way of earning a living was by painting family portraits, usually from photographs that were given to him.

For the last three years, he has been living here after moving at the suggestion of another Nigerian living in the Cayman Islands, who asked Mr Sarumi to paint his family's portrait when he was visiting Lagos.

Since Hurricane Ivan, Mr Kamoru has been painting for a local sign writing company, 'Crea8tive Signs.'

Here too, his main line of work is in painting portraits, but Mr Sarumi also likes painting Cayman landscapes, beach and street scenes.

He will be holding his first solo exhibition in the Cayman Islands, 'Beauty in Nature' at the Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa.

Mr Sarumi doesn't rush any of his paintings; he is a perfectionist.

Whereas some painters may cut corners by using inferior materials or 'quicker' techniques, Mr Sarumi's only concession to speed is the use of a special medium, Liquin that he mixes with the oil paints to help them dry more quickly.

"Some portraits may take as long as a week to complete according to how much detail there is on the photograph," he says.

"After sketching you paint the first coat and then the second coat; I use four coats altogether. The more coats of paint you put on, the more the painting comes alive," he said.

Mr Sarumi's systematic style was learned at university, and he has been perfecting it for nearly twenty years since then.

"I've been painting a long time, and have taken the long route to becoming an artist," he said. 

"At Lagos University I remember you have to spend the first year just on pencil work, learning about light, depth and shade.

After you master that, you are allowed to use coloured pencils during your second year.
In the third year, you can use watercolour and charcoal, and finally you go to oil paints, when you have mastered the others perfectly.

 "In Africa there's a lot a competition so that makes you to try to fight to the end to become a good artist," he said.

His painstaking traditional approach to art began paying off from his early days, when he began to get commissions from America and other places overseas.

"They would send people to me with photographs of their family, saying: "I only want Mr Sarumi to do the painting, don't go to any other artist," he recalled.

Mr Sarumi has also taken years to master the art of colour mixing, and truly brings colour to life, but only uses the three primary colours, Prussian blue; cadmium yellow; and alizarin crimson; plus black and white, to produce the infinite number of colours and shades that can be seen in his paintings.

"I have taken me a long time to reach the level that I have reached as a painter.

When you are a painter you need a lot of patience; I don't believe in working quickly, I believe in taking my time.

 "I've gone the really long route to be a realism artist. If you really want to be a good artist you have to follow all the steps," he said.

"Beauty of Nature" begins on 9 August.

Ten per cent of the proceeds of paintings sold will be donated to the National Gallery's Education Centre.

christopher@caymannetnews.com

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