Just brus it: James Kimathi, 37, a visual artist takes us through his artwork

What inspired your passion for art? 

I loved drawing from a very young age. My parents noticed my love for art back then and they gave me all the support they could.

I would spend most of my weekends learning how to draw from my dad, who is also an artist.

He was really supportive, and not only did he act as my tutor when he was on leave, but he would also bring me art supplies and art books.

Art actually saved me from bhang, miraa, alcohol and tobacco addiction. I started using these drugs while in Form One and by the time I was finishing my high school studies, I was a full-blown drug addict.

It got worse during my college years and severe after college even while I was in employment.

I have also battled substance abuse and  depression and through the encouragement of my supportive family and numerous counselling sessions, I managed to kick the habit and concentrate full time on art.

Describe the kind of art that you do? 

I’m both a traditional and digital painter. I love detail, so I would say I am mostly a photorealism artist. Photorealism means making an artwork to the likeness of a photograph.

I started out as a watercolour painter in 1997 when in Form One all through to 2013.

However, I developed an interest in digital painting while I was working at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. I have been doing both with most of my work being portraiture.

Who or what inspired you to start an art school?

I quit my job as a graphic designer in 2014 to do art full time. I didn’t have capital to set up a studio then, so I had to work from home for a year and half.

I saved up about Sh150,000 by doing portrait commissions and launched a small place in Kasarani.

I basically approached a friend who had a barbershop and he agreed to give me some space behind it and that is how Sketchmasta School of Art was born. 

Which challenges did you run into after setting it up?

It was difficult setting up a functional structure to run a school. This is in terms of fee structures, syllabuses and pricing.

When it comes to marketing, I didn’t have enough resources to do aggressive marketing.

I had built quite a huge following on social media platforms and that assisted a lot in putting the school on the map.

The other issue was conversion of the inquiries into actual income. I went up to seven months with less than 10 students.

How do you go about the teaching? 

We have junior and senior art courses. The junior ones are for children aged four to 10, while the senior ones are for people aged 10 years and above.

Our courses are usually hands on; we desire more to equip the young artists with the right set of skills needed in the industry of art.

Our J-unit courses allow the young artists to explore their own creativity through the use of colours and crafts.

Our senior courses are in-depth and lean towards giving our students a professional approach to becoming realism artists, enabling them to grasp and explore the basics and fundamentals of art.

It also makes it easier for them to later transition to other mediums and also develops their signature techniques.

So far, what are you proud of about the school?

I have trained and seen it transform young people into productive members of the society.

Many of my former students have either set up their own places and are earning well from art and others decided to become art teachers like me.

It started in Kasarani because that is where I live and that is where I could afford to start a school.

It has done well for the past four years and that had enabled us to expand and set up a bigger school in Westlands.

I also started a scholarship programme in 2017 where we have trained over 20 young girls.

Where do artists go wrong in the business side of art? 

The biggest mistake I have seen artists make is that they are not aggressive in marketing their work.

Marketing is key in every form of business and art is no exception. Make sure that your presence is felt online and you have well functioning website where clients can see your work.

Also, please don’t go the freelance way; ensure that you have a registered business and even if you are working from home, have a sense of professionalism when dealing with clients.

Having worked with international clients, what tips would you give artists?

Though art is more appreciated internationally, I believe that what you do locally can catapult you into international markets.

International clients have an eye for good art, so strive to give your work a sense of originality and avoid borrowing too much from the internet.

It’s also important to exercise discipline including meeting deadlines on time.

Also ensure that you have done a little bit of research when it comes to pricing, so that you don’t under or over quote your work.