• Okoth is a natural talent who decided long ago that he would exploit his drawing and painting skills to the fullest.
• He does his work to perfection even though he never stepped into a classroom for any fine art lesson.
Image: KNA/Polycarp Ochieng
Artisan courses have for the longest time been regarded as a path to menial jobs with no substantial and stable income.
But for Gerald Okoth, a budding artist from Kakrao in Suna East, nothing could be further from the truth.
Okoth is a natural talent who decided long ago that he would exploit his drawing and painting skills to the fullest. He does his work to perfection even though he never stepped into a classroom for any fine art lesson.
“I am a Standard 8 dropout not by choice but because my parents could not afford to pay my secondary school fees,” Okoth says.
His dream of continuing his education after sitting his KCPE exam was shattered. That, however, did not deter him from accomplishing his vision of becoming an artist.
Okoth drew his first portrait in 1998, something he says heralded his artistic career.
“I drew myself on a piece of cotton cloth and my friends and neighbours were amazed. So I did it frequently by drawing my siblings and the resemblance on the portrait was remarkable.”
Okoth, who is in his late 30s, says portrait drawing and painting is the only source of livelihood that has helped him educate his children.
His firstborn daughter is now in Form 4. Although the income is not much, he says he is able to take care of his family, terming it the most important thing for him.
A single portrait can take him three days to one week to complete depending on its size and accompanying details.
He acknowledges that drawing sketches and mixing colours are the most tiresome processes in portrait making.
Okoth has no fixed prices. Customers can bargain depending on their financial position.
The most expensive portrait he has ever sold was that of President Uhuru Kenyatta. The head of state visited Kuria for the 2017 presidential election campaigns.
Okoth points out that the reason he has various portraits of politicians is that they are known and recognised by almost everybody.
“When people see my canvas, they can easily point out and say this is so and so. It’s a good thing because a customer will be confident that I can really portray him or her the way he or she looks in real life."
He also acknowledges that politicians buy at better prices. Okoth is encouraging the youths to focus on their education and venture into what they like doing and nurture their talent instead of sitting idle. He has also cautioned them against doing drugs and taking alcohol.
Okoth urged the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to recognise artists and help them access grants to nurture their talent and professionalism to boost their livelihoods.
He hopes that the national and county governments will come up with a programme where artists like him could mentor and practically tutor artisan students from technical and vocational education and training colleges.
With the adoption of the competency-based curriculum, Okoth hopes the country will tap children's talent at an early age. He called for proper mechanisms to ensure talent is supported and promoted.
"Artists are always good ambassadors that can promote, showcase and market their own counties in terms of tourism. Migori county, for instance, should partner with artists to ensure our county and country are well marketed internally and nationally,” Okoth said.