Ponmile Pelumi Olamide also known as P.P by friends and co-artists is a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State. His strong passion for the Arts has brought him to be celebrated artist.
He shares story of his heroic journey into the world of colours with Ronke Sanya of Greennnews.ng, narrating how his drawing of a hall of residence, Faj Hall in OAU went viral and how he was privileged to design a portion of the renowned Hezekiah Oluwasnami Library.
Going down memory lane of how his journey started, he said, ‘Basically, I love Arts. When I was in the primary school, I had a special love for the Creative Arts classes. I loved to draw and paint and help my classmates bring their own drawings “up to quality”, (laughs).
‘I was passionate about whatever had to do with creativity, colours and drawing. In secondary school, the passion was even more. I began to consider Arts seriously after I had a talk with my then Fine Arts teacher, Mr Ajayi. I had asked him if there was a future in Arts and sought his advice on how to go about studying it. His timely encouragement, coupled with the understanding of my purpose helped launch me fully into the world of colours. Art gives me joy.’’
To get a painting done, Pelumi noted it can last hours and some masterpieces take months. Spending hours painting to Pelumi is like spending few minutes. ‘It is what I love to do,’’ he noted.
His journey into the world of colours started from childhood. He said, ‘As a child, I drew illustrations from newspapers, comic books, magazines and so on onto two-dimensional surfaces. While reading, I draw. While writing, I draw too. My teachers usually ask me to help out when drawings had to be made on the board in class and I loved it.’’
Pelumi talking about his popular painting of a hall of residence in Obafemi Awolowo University which went viral on social media recently said, ‘the Fajuyi Hall painting was an assignment given to us as a class by our lecturer, Dr. Segun Ajiboye. We were each asked to make a painting of the water point in one of the school’s hostels. Although only the illustration of the water point itself was required, I brought in extra characters to the work- a skill we call composition- to give a detailed evening scene illustration of the water point. I included the images of the bookworms who would bring their lecture notes to the water point and read as they awaited their turns, the students who took advantage of the water point to talk about the latest news on campus, students who washed their clothes there and of course the pasting of posters over the bodies of the storex. These and the well-lighted buildings which were depicted in the painting have been said to bring feelings of nostalgia to everyone who was once a student, and especially the alumni of OAU herself.
I never knew it would come to be as well-known as it came to be. Usually, what I do is to ensure I tackle diligently every assignment given and to never make “just a painting”. If it’s worth painting at all, it is worth painting well. For this one though, beyond hard work, God’s light shone upon me. Heaven smiled on me and I was amazed myself.
Asked about his other heroic exploits as an Art Student he said, ‘The work has found its home in my Alma Mata, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Apart from the Water Point painting, one other of my works that is as popular is the portrait of President Muhammadu Buhari which was made out of bits of fabrics without the use of paint. Many were amazed to learn that an entire portrait could be made out of just pieces of clothes. The work was widely accepted by the public, and that was only a few months after the Water Point’s painting was circulated.
Pelumi Ponmile also has his name immortalised in the OAU library. He painted a section of the library as an assignment.
‘The painting of the school library was also an assignment. Dr. Steven Folaranmi assigned each of us in painting section of the department of fine and applied arts to paint a portion of the school. My portion was the wall of the main library, Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library. The painting I made revolved around four subjects: The entrance to the library, a seated reading figure, a group discussion and graduation. These were all aimed at reminding the students of the reasons why they were in school and how they must focus and not lose their vision. It was a privilege for me to inscribe my prints into the walls of the historical library.’’
He has much other artistic exploration up his sleeves. ‘I’m exploring the use of materials as an alternative painting medium and waste to wealth conversion, plus practice, practice and more practice. Looking forward to creativity at its peak.’’
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