ACKNOWLEDGING PATRICK KINUTHIA'S LIFE WORK

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (shared April 13, 2023) Patrick knows that I am a big fan of his art, and perhaps that is one reason why he invited me to give an acknowledgement of his work. It is my privilege to proclaim my appreciation of what he does and has been doing for many years. Indeed, from the first time I set my eyes on his African beauties at Banana Hill Art Gallery some years ago, I understood why his women were literally flying off the gallery walls, bought largely by members of the United Nations staff (the UN Nairobi headquarters being down the road a piece) who were looking for visually interesting beauties that were reflective of the many communities in Kenya. I had actually met Patrick some years before while I was doing research for my doctorate on Kenyan contemporary art. He told me stories that I delighted in, especially one story contained in these pages, of Rafiq, the Pakistani artist whom his father had engaged to paint portraits of the stars that featured in the films he was screening in and around Nairobi. I was struck both by his father who sounded so progressive, bringing films to Kenyans in and outside the city so they could keep up with what was going on in the world beyond their rural boundaries. I was also struck by the fact that Patrick didn’t need to go to a fine arts college since he had Rafiq to mentor him as he did for several years. What I have always appreciated about Patrick is his independent spirit, and his freedom from needing to seek donor support or foreign aid as many artists have sought. He has relied on his own resources which have turned out to be formidable. I have met Patrick at many venues, mainly at his exhibitions such as one that he had at Wambui Collymore’s Art Space and one he had at the World Agroforestry Centre which was based at the time at the United Nations recreation centre. That is where I first encountered Patrick’s landscapes and especially his incredible trees which were painted especially for the Centre. From that point on, it has been his landscapes that have been my favorites of all his subjects. For he doesn’t just paint beautifully multi-colored portraits (he painted a particularly lovely one for the wife of the Google boss in Kenya, Jennifer). He paints wildlife and domestic animals as well. But it’s the landscapes that compel him to make his way all around Kenya where he practices that plein-air outdoor painting and photography of uniquely beautiful sites in the countryside. I remember meeting him in Lamu where he had joined in with the wonderful German art lover and connoisseur Herbert Menzer who started hosting Painters Festivals in Lamu, particularly in Shela, a most exquisitely beautiful village on the island. When Herbert started the Painters Festivals, he primarily invited European artists to come paint for several weeks all over the island and around the village. Quickly, Herbert realized that there were amazing Kenyan artists to invite to his festivals as well. Eventually, Patrick and Herbert met up and Patrick discovered the wealth of beautiful sites all around that village. When we met in Shela, Patrick was seated on a big rock as I recall, painting something like a house with the water, the cloudless, turquoise blue sky and the radiant sun being what struck you about the work in progress. His art embraced it all and it was one more occasion when I was able to see the authenticity of this masterful painter. I must relate one last story that I feel reveals a lot about the man’s integrity. And it is one he related to me from his gallery, the one he established in the Roslyn Riviera Mall after One Off Gallery moved out and left the place empty for over a year. Here I found Patrick again surprising me, having his own gallery and also showcasing several other Kenyan artists like Derrick Munene and Kennedy Kinyua. The story he shared was possibly meant to be confidential, but as I’m not disclosing anyone’s name, I will tell how a man walked into the gallery and asked if Patrick could please continue to paint as he does, but write at the bottom of his work ‘Timothy Brooke’. This was soon after Timothy had passed on, and this was an offer promising big bucks to Patrick if he indulged in the dirty game. But he refused entirely to even contemplate such a proposal. There might be some similarity in, for instance, his and Timothy’s wildlife imagery, but the kind of plagiarism being proposed was wicked and a violation of artistic license. Anyway, I continue to be a fan of Patrick’s art and have to say that this catalogue of his current work barely reflects the depth and breathe of all that he has created over the years. But the joy is that he is in his prime and prepared to continue developing his technique and his style of painting. This book contains examples of his major subject matters, but there is much more that we expect of him in the future. Congratulations for all that you do, dear Mr. Kinuthia.