TALENT comes naturally to a person. It is God-given and imbued in an individual. But talent can’t grow unless the person who inherits it is passionate about it and works on developing it.
Floyd Badenogo, who hails from Santa Cruz and Reef Islands in Temotu Province, is an artist who loves to draw portraits and landscapes on papers since he was a kid.
Overtime, he developed his skills further and is now working on both pencil sketches on hard papers and paintings on canvases.
The 25-year-old Badenogo went to Lata Primary School and Mamineo Primary School in Temotu Province. He did his secondary education at Luesalemba Provincial Secondary School in Temotu, Kukudu Adventist College in the Western Province and Betikama Adventist College in Honiara. In 2021 and 2022, Badenogo did his foundation studies in Science at the University of South Pacific (USP), Honiara Campus.
The young man spoke about his passion for art to Solomon Star this week.
At Primary School, Bade would draw cartoon pictures of houses, islands and people from text books and to the point where his classmates would bring their books to him to draw what could be difficult for them to draw and also pictures on black boards from teachers for lessons and notes.
He recalled being asked by his teacher to draw a heart diagram on the board and his teacher really admired and appreciated the outcome.
When he was in high school, Badenogo took a little break on art drawings but would always be sought by his friends to draw designs for their assignment covers pages.
His break went on till 2021 during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which gave him the opportunity to reignite his drawing passion.
“My older sister suggested and encouraged me to try painting on canvases and do sketch portraits. Since there was not much to do during lock down, I engrossed myself in both pencil sketches and acrylic painting and also explored different art mediums in different types of papers and sizes.
“YouTube tutorials have also been a major source of learning for me as I’ve improved my art skills by watching others and practicing on my own,” Badenogo said.
When asked about how he as an artist views the environment and people, he said being an artist gave him a deeper sense of appreciation for the world and people around him.
“When I create an art, I pay close attention to details whether it’s about the environment, its natural beauty and scenario or people’s expressions. Art allows me to express emotions and perspectives that words often can’t convey, helping me to see people and nature from different angles.
“It also makes me to be more sensitive to environmental issues and I often reflect some of these themes in my work. For example, there is a drawing that I did on a large hard paper (51×63 paper size) which I titled “Nature Natured Beauty.” This basically means we are nurtured by nature to be beautiful,” the young artist said.
He added that understanding the environment around him helps him portray messages that convey deep meanings.
Young Badenogo’s artworks attract people as his weather paintings or pencil drawings perfectly resemble the photographed images given to him to paint about, especially pencil portrait sketches.
“I often do portrait sketches and paintings that resonate with my audience, whether it’s the fine details of a person’s face or the vibrant colors that I use in my paintings. Many people are drawn to the final result and how realistic it looks with the authenticity of my work.
“For myself, I don’t find my art work attractive but I do the best that I could offer to my customers and when I hear positive comments and feedback from them, I realize that I’ve improved. Seeing their smiles, happiness and appreciation motivates me to keep creating art.
“I’ve also had my work displayed by local companies like Telekom in Gizo and the Hibiscus Motel in Lata. It’s always rewarding when people talk about my artwork and how they admire it,” he expressed.
Whether it’s talent or developed passion, one always encounters challenges and Bedenogo shared some of his challenges which are the lack of proper art supplies, lack of time and patience and criticisms.
“In Honiara, it’s difficult to find the right tools, like specific paintbrushes or high-quality pencils for blending and shading drawings.
“Another challenge is the lack of time and patience. Sometimes I fail to fulfil my customers’ requests due to my commitments to other personal stuff. I had to turn down requests to attend to my urgent personal stuff. Others, I couldn’t finish their requests on time. I hope to improve on this in the future.
“Also, dealing with criticism can be tough but I’ve learned to accept feedbacks, put criticisms behind my back and continue work on improvements,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Badenogo expressed appreciation for his biggest achievements so far which include five of his paintings being bought by Telekom in Gizo and a portrait of Sir Peter Kenilorea on a 51×63 hard paper from which he earned more than $1000.00.
Since then, he received commissions for both his paintings and pencil sketches and was able to generate income from his passion.
Badenogo said each time he delivers a completed art piece, he makes his clients happy and considers these as his achievements.
At the moment Badenogo is doing further studies and paused on his passion for drawings and paintings.
Despite focussing on his studies for now, Badenogo holds on to his big dreams in the artistry world and that is to open his own art studio, where he can create and teach other young people who are interested in developing their art skills.
“I want to contribute to the local art community and help young people develop their artistic skills by providing them with proper art supplies required to further their art career.
“I also hope to expand my art career by exhibiting my work in galleries and continuing to receive commissions from a broader audience. Ultimately, I want to use my art to inspire and bring joy to others,” he said.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
