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If you have been reading my blogs faithfully, and of course you have, you've already met Patrick while I was muraling in Liberia. He is the young artist I met in my Peace Corps "home town" of Zwedru. Without formal training or adequate supplies, Patrick has grown into an artist of astounding talent.
When he asked for my advice, I suggested he focus on African art instead of still life with flowers and the like. So, he used some of my photographs for his inspiration, pictures of his own friends, as well as internet searches to create his portraits. Everything he touches becomes a stunning piece of art.
So, since my time in Liberia, Patrick has kept me updated with photos of his work. And, he is prolific! I seem to want to have everything he creates and I wish I could have the complete Patrick Gono art collection for myself. It really needs to be displayed somewhere, so why not my home? Unfortunately, if you ever saw my home, you'd know there is no wall space to display the collection if I did own it. And, besides, if there ever is a Patrick Gono collection, it needs to be in a spot where the world can see it. I'm not inviting the world to my home.
When he asked for my advice, I suggested he focus on African art instead of still life with flowers and the like. So, he used some of my photographs for his inspiration, pictures of his own friends, as well as internet searches to create his portraits. Everything he touches becomes a stunning piece of art.
So, since my time in Liberia, Patrick has kept me updated with photos of his work. And, he is prolific! I seem to want to have everything he creates and I wish I could have the complete Patrick Gono art collection for myself. It really needs to be displayed somewhere, so why not my home? Unfortunately, if you ever saw my home, you'd know there is no wall space to display the collection if I did own it. And, besides, if there ever is a Patrick Gono collection, it needs to be in a spot where the world can see it. I'm not inviting the world to my home.
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Now, as if I couldn't be any prouder of him, Patrick has created his own solo mural since I left Africa. Oh, yes, it makes me simply burst with pride. He approached a merchant in Zwedru's main intersection, the Zwedru triangle, and suggested a bottled drink crashing through the wall. But, this merchant wanted to see more of Patrick's work. And, he decided he wanted Patrick's portrait of a young man wearing huge sunglasses. It's stunning. And, it's in oil paint. I HATE oil painting murals. It's a nightmare to clean up with turpentine.
It brought me a little comfort to know that his back and arms ached from climbing the ladder to work on this piece. For you see, at this same time, I'm climbing scaffolding and ladders on a mural project in Moldova. I also have an aching back, tired muscles and assorted other body parts in pain. It's a relief to know it also happens to twenty year old artists.
Patrick posts his work online for his friends to see on Facebook. The mural was no exception. However, when he posted the mural photos, he announced to his friends that it was his FIRST mural.
I quickly set him straight. It was his SECOND.