It was an exciting moment for a budding artist, Eghosa Omoruyi as Fine Art enthusiasts, family, friends and associates gathered at the Hunters Eatery and Event Centre, Egbeda-Isheri road on Sunday, 19th of June,2022 for the unveiling of ‘Painterly,’-a blend of Fine Arts and Photography exhibition organised by Mr Eghosa.
The colourful event attracted lovers of Art works and Photography from all walks of life and other very important dignitaries including Rev. Fred Obetoh, General Overseer of Faith Cathedral Int’l Ministry who declared the event open with a prayer session.
Fine Art being what it is-reflection of the realities of life, ‘Painterly’ exhibition lived up to the expectations of its enthusiasts at the event.
The obviously elated Eghosa, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Petroleum Training Institute, Delta state, took time to explain some of his unveiled art works and what they reflect with inscriptions. Of particular interest was the ‘Ant-Man’, the portrait of a man saddled with a huge load of ‘challenges’ on his head and two strong chains cascading from his shoulders, holding him down on both sides depicting the life journey of a man from birth to death.
The inscription read, “Ant-man-Born and given the world on my shoulders without asking if I’m strong enough to carry it. I’m called Man everyday just like the Ant, I’m burdened with carrying these weights even when I’m held back by the harsh weather of society, I can’t complain, maybe I’m Ant-Man.”
Similarly, Eghosa eulogized the woman folk in another portrait as beautiful creatures with purity of heart.
The inscription also read, “Like the Jelly, she beautifully emits her own light under the dark ocean. Plain hearted and transparent, she moves with purity of heart, flowing with whatever nature throws at her but in all her grace, she fragile and pure.”
Recalling his foray into the world of Fine Arts and Photography, the Mechanical Engineering graduate said, “My journey into Arts actually started in 2018 with Photo manipulation, then I had no camera but I was doing it with my laptop and getting it online. But before now, I used to borrow my friend’s camera or use my phone to do what I like to do which is fine art photography.
“Fine art photography is not seen as a big or recognised kind of photography and then, people focused on events but I was like, I want to do what I love doing which is Fine Art and in 2020, I was able to get recognition in Instagram and my followers grew. Ever since then, people always commends my works and some online institutions and even now, my work is being exhibited in the US. Actually, I’m a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Petroleum Training Institute in Delta state.”
Speaking on his inspiration, the creative Eghosa Omoruyi said, “When I was small, my Dad had this screen camera which I loved to play with and at some point, I spoilt the camera as a little child and later, I love checking some of those old masters paintings and I noticed that those people were creative in the things they did and as a Mechanical Engineer, you have to be creative also. From there, I started developing interest in creativity and whatever I think in my mind, I jotted it down, I try to create it on my laptop.
“Most times, when I see something, I will, like let me see how I can merge it to create a different style and most times, I work with my friends who are stylists too, I tell them see what I have in mind, I want to portray it, I sketch it and we work it together.
On how he got the name, ‘Painterly,’ he has this to say, “Before I got the theme, Painterly, it actually took me time. I actually got the title in the church after praying to God that my exhibition was coming and I needed a name. The word just came to my mind and when I checked the meaning in the dictionary and it actually fit into what I wanted. And I was like, Eureka! I just got the idea of what I wanted.”
The Mechanical Engineer-turned Artist expressed gratitude to his father, Pastor Paul Osaigbovo Omoruyi for giving him the latitude to express his creativity in the world of Fine Arts and photography which he loves to do.
Unfortunately, most young people like Eghosa have had their ingenuity distorted by their conservative parents which has inadvertently affected their career development.
In a chat with newsmen at the event, Pastor Omoruyi averred that he would always allow his children to choose their career path and encourage them.
In his word, “He read mechanical Engineering, I’m a man who will not tell my children what to do, I look at you and when you want to do anything, the only question I ask you is do you have a flare for it, if you tell me you have a flare for it, I say prove it. And if I see that you have the flare for it, I have no option, I will back you up.
“At the moment, I’m having a running battle with his younger sister, she is in 500level in Babcock university, studying law, she will be 20years in December, she is telling me now that she will not practice law, that she wants to be a journalist and I said no, that was not our agreement. She told me when she was three years old that she would be a lawyer and I asked her to work it out, write JAMB, go to the university and that I would back her up.
“I do not discriminate when it comes to what my children want to do, I do not choose a trade for my children, by the grace of God, I will be 70 years old by March next year and I should be able to back them up in whatever they have chosen to do. My major interest in them is, are you happy in what you are doing because their happiness is my happiness.
“But I always tell him to remember his first love but if God says this is where he is going to make his money, so be it. An Engineer is always an Engineer, his tools are still there. When he told me he wanted to do this exhibition, I told him to go ahead. This is the first exhibition and I know that after this, there will be more exhibitions either here or outside the country where many people will actually see and appreciate his works.
On his impression about Fine Arts and Artists, he said, “When you talk about Arts and Artistes, the perception before now are people who carry dreadlock, smoke all smoke-able, a man that drinks but that is changing now. Before we had the sculptures and the galleries but today, things are changing and these young ones are changing the face of arts.
“An Engineer is going into Arts unlike before when an artist was looked at as a commoner or a misfit. It is not so now. You see, the Africans actually have what is called arts starting from wood work, like where we come from, our artifacts are still in the Uk and all over the world which we are still battling to bring back which is to tell you that this thing is in our blood. If we are still talking about artifacts of about 200 years old.”
Painterly exhibition was quite unique and can be described as creativity in an uncommon fashion.
