HOW DO YOU GIFT TWO ROYAL PORTRAITS.

                               HOW TO GIFT TWO ROYAL PORTRAITS

           Prince Harry

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted15 March 2021)

Leo Warigi and Lee Wamae are two young Kenyan artists with a worthy ambition. They have painted portraits of two brothers who they admire and would like their paintings shared accordingly.

What makes it challenging to fulfill their plan is the social distance that would seem to keep them far from simply calling up and making an appointment to gift their art to the brothers.

“We’ve admired Harry and William for many years and that’s why we wanted to paint their portraits,” says Leo who has been a buddy of Lee’s since secondary school when they both attended the Mount Kenya Academy in Nyeri and both studied fine art.

                                                                         Prince William

It’s true that they started their project before the apparent rift between the brothers came about. “We began work on the portraits at the end of 2018, and completed both paintings by April the following year,” recalls Lee.

But the painters are confident the brotherly bond between the two royals will endure despite whatever bumps they confront along the road. “In any case, we painted each brother individually,” says Leo, adding that they started with Harry and subsequently worked on William’s portrait.

Both brothers are dressed in military attire and look every bit a royal and a representative of the centuries-old Monarchy.  

“We were hopeful from the start that we could hand our paintings over to either the British High Commission or even someone at the British Council. But then the pandemic came along and the process of possibly having that happen ground to a halt,” recalls Leo.

“If there were a way to deliver our paintings to the right people, perhaps they might one day even reach the brothers themselves,” adds Lee.

The two Kenyans had the good fortune to study art at a secondary school where the subject was examinable and the environment was supportive. “We studied everything from painting, drawing, weaving, textile design, and sculpture and much more,” recalls Lee.

“We were especially inspired by the African American author and artist Ashley Bryan who used to come to the school every year and share his ideas and his art with us,” says Leo.

“He [Bryan] encouraged us to develop our skills and use our talents to bless other people with our art,” adds Lee who especially admired the children’s books that Bryan wrote and illustrated.”

The two have been out of secondary for several years, with Leo going to Kenyatta University and Lee to Shantau Media Arts College, so they don’t know if Bryan still comes regularly to Nyeri. But his influence on their art is unassailable. “He is one reason why we thought of painting Harry and William. We thought the works could serve as a bridge between Kenya and the UK,” Leo adds.

In fact, it was while the two men were briefly based at Dust Depo Art Studio with Patrick Mukabi that they came up with the idea of painting portraits of the brothers. “Patrick gave us great advice, especially about how best to present our art, and how important presentation is,” says Leo

Presentation was an issue that was not emphasized at KU, adds Leo who is glad he had the opportunity to do his KU ‘attachment’ at Dust Depo with Mukabi. “We learned a lot from Patrick. For instance, he spoke to us about the value of exhibiting and advised us where and how to do it,”

Lee was equally enthusiastic about what he gained from being with Mukabi whose fatherly demeanor has served to support and encourage countless up-and-coming Kenyan artists.

Asked by DN how it was possible for two people to work on one painting, Lee explains that he spent more time on the brothers’ torsos and uniforms while Leo worked on their facial features. The division of labor isn’t apparent as their styles of painting blend together seamlessly.

The portraits themselves are done in both oils and acrylics. The one challenge I posed to them was the issue of proportions since the painting of Harry is a bit larger than that of William. But the artists are hopeful that the difference won’t deter representatives of the Royals from responding to their dream of giving their paintings to the British royal family.

Ideally, the paintings could be handed over when the brothers are scheduled to meet this summer, but that is a big wish.