(Eric [in a skyblue shirt] chats with a lady)
BEWITCHINGLY RYTHMIC
ASKED why his Art pieces focus mainly on women, he replied that he wants “to bring out the strength of a woman. There is that inner beauty that lies inside every woman. They are more gifted than us (men), and take a short time to discern things. If a man looks at something for long, he is accused of staring, yet he still does not get it.” Captured with a few strokes of the brush, his works are colourful, moving and spirited. Thematically, his works “say much with little.” On Tuesday 27th March, 2007, American artist Eric D. Salisbury opened a 3-day Art Exhibition of his pieces at Design Agenda Gallery (IPS Building) Plot 14 Parliament Avenue in Kampala, near Kenya Airways. A fairly big audience of art lovers, corporate personnel, foreigners, beautiful women and famous Kampalans turned up to watch Eric’s Celebration of imagery through Dance, Music and Sports…
Eric D. Salisbury is a native of California, born in Los Angeles but reared in Compton. He graduated from the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, Los Angeles, CA, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. He began his professional status officially in 1981 upon graduation and opened his first of many art studios. The prolific artist became recognised for his spirited, moving, colourful and sometimes whimsical works. Eric moved to Seattle, WA in 1989 where he quickly established his name as a Northwest artist. Mr. Salisbury has taught children in both after-school programs; created and sold works of art through galleries, museums, private and public shows and currently sells and has works throughout the United States and around the world. The largest collection from the Smiling Faces series is owned by the Watts Counselling and Learning Centre in Los Angeles, CA.
“At your young age, you have accomplished what most artists will not realize in a life-time.” remarked James Washington, a sculptor. His paintings of visual impact and emotion have been purchased by Alvin Ailey - a dancer and founder of the Alvin Ailey Dance Troop; Michael Collier - a comedian; Norm Rice - Mayor of Seattle, Washington; Shawn Springs - NFL player, and many more notable patrons too many to avow. Today, Eric D. Salisbury’s works grace the homes, businesses and institutions where famous and not so famous people pause to enjoy them. He is truly the artists’ artist, and many love his art works. For further details, call (256)772718158 or (256)772662575 or email: designagenda@hotmail.com
While opening his exhibition in the presence of distinguished art enthusiasts at the Design Agenda Cafe and Gallery, Eric explained his personal style of using ink and acrylic.
After missing the chance to meet Mr. Ras during his Art exhibition in 2006 (though I bought a complementary mini-book with a collection of the exhibited pieces), I could not turn down an invitation from Design Agenda for another Art extravaganza. I had read about the American artist named Salisbury before and hoped that this experience would be just as marvelous. And it actually turned out to be artistically inspiring. Clad in a skyblue shirt, black vest, and black trousers, the grey bearded Eric D. Salisbury (Copyright EDS) opened his exhibition with an introductory speech and questions session before everybody was allowed to either freely mingle with him plus the rest present, enter the art room or visit the café-bar for a drink and munchies.
Having marveled at Xenson’s graffiti on Kampala street-walls and read a number of his newspaper articles, I was delighted to see the man in person for the first time at the exhibition. His facial appearance used to elude my eyes. Also known as Samson S(s)enka(a)ba, the great Ugandan artist presented a short lyrical Luganda poem which the moderator translated for the American and non Luganda-speaking audience as “a call for everybody to wake up and go to work”. ('Kampala si kibuga kya ba fala' - Luganda for 'Kampala is not a city for lazy people.') Extra entertainment came from ‘Uganda’s own Elton John’, who sang an acapella for a song by a famous Lingala artiste. His fans applauded with thumbs up. Notable among the audience was Tina Wamala, host of ‘Day Breaker’ on Record TV, and the Uganda German Cultural Society’s Director Ms. Roberta Wagner Friedrichsen among others. Salisbury confessed to drawing women a lot because he was searching for his ‘perfect female’. Nevertheless, there were also images of men and children featured at the exhibition. His works are mainly done with ink and acrylic (on canvas). On the wall of the upper art room, a framed painting on canvas entitled “Flowers and Friends” featured two girls playing in a well kempt flower garden. He deliciously used colour and white tones to represent beauty, childlike innocence and love. The most conspicuous of his works though was the series of ink drawings captured with a few strokes of the brush (I likened them to a bewitchingly rhythmic Lilian Mbabazi of Blu*3 dancing) and pinned on all the walls. They generally created the faintly proclaimed theme for his exhibition which would end on Friday 30th March 2007. Meanwhile on Wednesday, the following day, he would be hosted by the Uganda German Cultural Society and Alliance Française at their joint premise in Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb. Asked by Kargo Magazine (me of course, heehee) how long he takes to finish his pieces, Eric answered that it depends on the item. “It could take me one week or even two years. Sometimes I may retouch my originals after a long while.” Actually, there was a beautiful series of retouched originals in the upper room that cost 170,000 UgX. Other unframed ink paintings were 40,000 UgX each, an affordable price considering most gallery prices. One medium-size and already-framed painting cost 75,000 UgX. “I would not rate his Art as ‘Great Art’ but this was a very good exhibition,” one of the viewers criticised, “The images seem to take you somewhere and then stop before they finish…” Whatever ‘Great Art’ means, all I can say is that this was truly skilful work by a very well-experienced master. Some of his work is extremely mesmerizing, almost leaving you in a rhythmic trance. Actually, the viewer who criticized Eric’s Art chose three dance related and beautiful ink paintings of women as his favourites among the collection. Eric has exhibited in Europe (France& Germany), plus of course the Americas (US, Canada and Hawaii). He nevertheless derives ideas from places like Africa as well as Asia. Design Agenda courteously entertained those present with a drink, beef rolls and chicken on sticks. All proceeds from the exhibition will be given to charity, most notably International Hospital Kampala (IHK)'s Hope Ward International among others.
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(A Photo of 4 month old Aiko on 13th May 1984)
FOCUSSED MADNESS
My life will never be complete without supercharged creativity which includes Portraits, Advertising, Studio Work, Cartoons, Animated Movies, Exhibitions, Gallery Art, Movies, Website Design, Comicology plus Industrial Art and Design. I was born to be an Artist and one of the Good Ones in the Trade. By age 13, I had developed an insatiable lust for the mastery of Script Calligraphy from a Christmas Carols Book. Effectively, I became the Official Calligrapher for my SMACK (St. Mary's College Kisubi) schoolmates, designing names on envelopes and cards posted to their relatives, girlfriends and lovers. At home, I was the Family Designer labelling Christmas Cards gifted to relatives and family friends. Now, I'm lost in my infatuation. I live in my own world, because this Madness is my Gladness. In 2001, I envisioned a revolutionary Talent Company, and two years later, it had adopted the name 'Aiko Graphics'. The first time I used the trademark was while redesigning a family portrait I had earlier made for my parents in remembrance of the good times we had shared as a family of 9 members. Originally named 'Atelier' (French for Studio), a tradename I used at my A' Level School (Makerere College), I changed the name in 2002 to 'Imitari' (Latin for Portrait) because of my Portrait and Poster Design Extravaganza which earned me a number of motivational fans at the High School. Can you imagine, without the moral support from Macos schoolmates, I would probably have laid down my drawing tools? I had already dropped Art the previous year due to disappointing results yet I believed I was one of the Most Committed Artists of my generation. Some students nevertheless called me 'Picasso' and allowed me to demonstrate my skills by assigning me poster design work for selected school events and other class illustrations. The patron of Macorean, the school magazine admired my talent and appointed me the headline designer without having to go through the usual elections. It was a position I acquired on merit due to my psychedelic pieces since I joined Macos in May 2001. My breakthrough actually came during my fourth month at Macos. I designed a giant election poster on manilla for a good friend and popular classmate called Martin Atuhaire (fondly called Mato). He literally swept over his opponent, another classmate of ours, to become Entertainment minister (97% votes). He sent me to represent him during the Vote Counting so I knew the actual results though they were tinkered. I had earlier refused to be impartial and make a campaign poster for Mato's opponent. I can confess I had fun during Mato's reign.
By the way, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was the Most Famous and Prolific Painter of his Generation. Even before he could talk, he showed skill in drawing. Years later he could remember the colours of things he saw in his childhood. Aided by the careful instruction of his father, Picasso mastered the basic techniques of representational drawing and painting by the time he was twenty and assimilated the influences of several leading artists of his father's generation: Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Any written biography of Picasso is only a footnote to the autobiographical content of much of his art. In his many variations on the themes of the artist with his model, we recognise that Picasso is commenting on his own experience. Within and beyond his images of the life of an artist, there is the ebb and the flow, the inspiration and crises of Picasso's turbulent love life. Five very different women, who (in succession) shared his life, appear again and again in his Art. Personally, I've had crushes during my school career and can confess that this soulful energy influenced my artwork.
Nevertheless, I always rate Leonardo Da Vinci above all the rest I know and those I don't, not because of his Mona Lisa masterpiece or the famous controversial code but the admirable skill and vast knowledge revealed by his notebooks, some of which even the World's Richest Man for 13 years in a row (Bill Gates) amazingly bought...
(Details)
The first artwork that convinced me that I had all it takes to become a great artist was the drawing of a car during a Nursery School assignment in 1989. The following year, I joined Victoria Nile Primary School in Jinja but did not fancy the line drawing taught during Art lessons. They were just too basic to be called Fine Art yet I wanted to learn the real thing. In stead, I developed my talent by copying images in The New Vision newspaper and cartoons in Kenya's Daily Nation. Religious literature from Jehovah's Witnesses, TV Commercials, Movies, Cartoons plus Sports Shows also influenced my development by giving me various ideas and visualisations. I was also inspired by comic book art from Marvel and DC Comics. Actually, that was subconsciously my main target. Comic Art is so creative that you think you are watching a still film. I wanted to acqire that skill, so in 2000, I applied to the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning in the USA thanks to a recommendation from an Art classmate at SMACK, Jude Karuhanga. He was arguably one of the 3 Best Artists I knew besides Maurice Kaweekwa (Mr. SMACK, a fantastic Michael Jackson reincarnation and unrivalled Art talent) and Francis Otim (aka Oparaah), a free flowing creator and very skilful Rugby Player with the Best Side-step Maneouvre I saw among my classmates. I received a colourful reply from the school and seriously studied their course outline during my Senior 4 and 6 vacations alongside 'Modesty Blaise' newspaper cutouts and a 'Wolverine' comic produced by one of the alumni of the school. Along the way, I mastered a number of valuable tricks. By the time I joined Uganda Christian University in 2003, I was at a level where I could teach other students.
In my early years at school, my lovely 'Queen Mother' Liz (Elizabeth) Dramani used to cane me regularly for poor handwriting. She had been a teacher before at Spire Road Primary School, a stone throw away from our apartment, in which we had moved at the start of 1990. However, then she worked for Bank of Uganda, Jinja Branch alongside her darling friend, Rose Werukwendera, the beautiful Munyoro mother of arguably my very first crush named Joy (Easter 1991) to whom I dedicated the 'Aiko Logo Design Project' 10 years later.
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(Joy, my First Crush - Easter 1991)
In 2001-2, the Joy I studied with was one of the standard units (internationally recognized as SI, for instance kilogram or kilometre) from which other babes in our year were measured. I actually heard many classmates confess shamelessly that she had the Most Visually Exciting Boobs. Personally, I wasn't looking at that. I did not mind her face either; it’s just that Joy had an attractive inner strength and aura around her. She was headstrong, looked physically fit, not too fat and neither skinny; just a Perfect Woman.
To get closer, the best thing I could do naturally was to befriend her younger brother Joshua just like I had done on Sunday 14th April 1991. My real life alter ego at Macos 2001-2 (Inno) who claimed to have the power to read my mind from his trademark "Hydra Files", once told me that he was going to do something sinister to the belle. What it was I cannot tell but he seemed to know all the girls I fancied, from Rebeeca to Lydia to Joy and he related with the former two very well. Of course I hesitated to try because I thought my vibe was not strong enough but I enjoyed the acquaintance with Josh who somehow encouraged me to develop my Art skills. I never told him how his 'Big Sis' inspired me. Joshua, one class behind us but in the same house (Pink shirted Simba) with me, was handsome too (that's what the girls said anyway) and fancied the song "More Money", a 2002 Luganda hit that would be played almost every night whenever we returned to the Senior Boys Hostel (A’ Levels only). Personally, I loved this song because it cut deep rythymically. Amazingly the word Ayiko means 'joy' or 'happiness' in Lugbara though Aiko could also mean "Trapping Salt" or "No Salt".
By Primary 3 at Victoria Nile School (abbreviated VNS), I was so furious about my mother's punishments that I started practising the common font style used in novels and magazines. The letters in my writing consequently became clearly legible though quite tiny like in newspapers. My mother now wanted me to write big size letters. She was overwhelmed by the change I was making. Besides soccer and TV, I also loved drawing my favourite heroes. One day, the Science teacher asked the class why my grades were deteriorating and friends responded that it was because I spent more time drawing pictures; I felt betrayed by the same people I used to draw for. One time I made a paper TV and invited my best friend Denis Ogwapit, an Itesot, to watch it with me. We drank juice and enjoyed the afternoon while my sisters plaited hair. Up to now, I still wonder why many of my best pals are from Soroti! By Primary 6, I had created a name for myself as arguably the best artist in my class though I felt my greatest challenger named Ivan Nsoita had mechanically robotic art. It was very skilful but did not feel flexible to me because his strong images seemed like drawings of wood carvings. Some individuals nevertheless fancied his style more than mine. We met again at Makerere College where he drew cartoons for the school magazine 6 years later. I left my beloved Victoria Nile School and all its artistic memories at the end of first term in 1995. The previous two years, I had experienced the biggest 2 crushes of my career at VNS after Kawino (P2) and Sophie (P3) in lower school. First was Mariam Were (from P4-6), the short black cute best friend and sidekick of every other boy's favourite, Laura Batamuliza. They were like siamese twins but I preferred Black Beauty to the light-skinned and tall Rwandese (might actually be Eastern Congolese) who even sat a few millimetres on my right side during P6 first term. A clique of Uptown Boys always wanted me to whisper a good word to her about them. They probably conceived that I either had no interest or just could not handle Laura's maintenance. Personally, I think she was a great babe, one you would expect to be hooked up by a tycoon, not a Scooby (School Boy). The other stunner in my 6 years at Jinja's Best Primary School was Catherine Johnstone? (P5). She usually put her head on top of the desk and read a book lying on her lap. I do not know if she was really Indian but she hang around other Indians during break time. Another thing that struck me about this white girl besides her immaculate beauty and exceptional intelligence was the golden crucifix she always adorned. I thought every Indian is supposed to be Hindu, like Africans are expected to practice witchcraft, but anyway forget about the stereotypes. I loved her to bits and amazingly, she sat between me and another boy.
While in Primary 7 at Kalinabiri Primary School (Ntinda, Kampala), my English teacher during P.6 always told the pupils who replaced us that I wrote like a computer. My handwriting was actually developed to perfection due to painful warnings and punishments. However, I also felt it was unnatural. After all, no one else wrote like me, not even Barbra Anyait, my conversational deskmate in 1995. I had to adjust in order not to become an annoying outcast. So I tried the freestyle that most people used, where you write slanting letters without worrying about the shapes. As months passed, I realised that I had a variety of handwritings. It was probably the power of creativity and newspaper design nurtured within me by an Indian half breed called Doro (Her mother is Itesot). She sat next to me the whole year when I was at first the Class Monitor and then Head Boy and she shared not only her textbooks but also my secrets. Besides, I was the Brightest and Most Handsome Dude in the class according to our Class Teacher, the mathematician Mr. Mukasa. Fellow P.7 candidates actually regarded her as my girlfriend 'cause I treated her like a Childhood Sweetheart sometimes keeping quiet when other girls came around. Her kindness was sweet but too deep for a coy guy like me. Maybe, I was 'the only open person' she could talk to in class then but I don't know why I didn't commit to the friendship when she went to Iganga Girls Secondary School. Meanwhile, I was exiled to SMACK in 1997. I heard about her again in 2003 while at university. Although Doro got admitted to the Law Faculty at Makerere University Kampala, her half sister joined me at Mukono University. Honestly, I believe "Diamonds are forever..." meaning Good friends are forever.
My big brother VAD, aka Vyo also encouraged me a lot, not only because he was a good cartoonist but his inspirational comments made me believe that it was possible to exploit my graphics talent mine. At SMACK (1997 to 2000), I was officially recognised as the Class Calligrapher because I artistically wrote addresses on letter envelopes which classmates posted to their lovers or important people. It became so prestigious an indulgence that other skilful classmates tried to do the same by asking for training and guidance from me. I respectfully obliged to help them. Nonetheless, the most exciting time of my life as an artist probably came while I was at Makerere College School, popularly abbreviated as Macos (May 2001 to November 2002). Of course now I was sitting next to girls again after a four year drought at SMACK, an all-boys school, but that was not the main reason. Okay, maybe just a few girls I wanted to impress like Lydia (an outgoing classmate and my biggest moral support among the opposite gender, I bet all my Macos pieces on that) and the buxom Geographer 'Joy' , maybe a Crush I already had from time immemorial. She made me blush to the extent that I pitied myself because I could not even make a move, ha ha ha, talk about stepping on your friend's toes to make way for her. Although I did not fear Joy, somehow I feared the competition; Picture me as Nick Cannon in the movie 'Love Don't Cost a Thing ' trying to hang out with Christina Milian, the hottest babe in school, yet she has a boyfriend who is a famous Basketballer and I'm just a nobody with a lot of promising talent though. This chick actually reminded me of the first girl I ever fell in love with on Easter Sunday 1991. The beauty was also called Joy. Was she the one coming back to haunt me after 10 years? Sometimes love is a force you can never destroy; you just reproduce it as something else.
I dropped Art after only one month at Macos because I was not getting the marks I greedily desired. Instead, I begged to join the Technical Drawing class. However, the TD teacher did not welcome me into his class. So with tears in my eyes, I painfully settled for Divinity as my Fourth principal alongside History, Economics and Literature. Afterall, I had been reading the Bible ever since I was a zygote and had accepted Jesus Christ into my rotten heart as Lord and Saviour 4 years before. Consequently, I worried that my Art talent was about to be buried in the brief time at Macos but by August, three months later, I was kick starting the momentum to enjoy my skills as a GODmade Artist. It reminded me of the advice that my father once gave me that "Time is money; don't waste it crying over spilt milk..." My father JD is to me the World's Best Dad. Don't ever try to argue with me; every son is entitled to his opinions. He was sort of incredible to me, that's why I can even defend my statement with a stealthy Aurora. Although I could see in photos that he had gone to a School of Technology in Glasgow, Scotland (Also graduated from Makerere University Kampala during Amin's Regime), he had an amazing aura around him. He retired with schematic lawyers on his neck, but dad told me that one day he will get over their false accusations once and for all.
During my Senior 4 vacation, the vision of starting a Talent Company to enhance Skills and Talents came to me. I named it 'Atelier ' (French for Studio) and started using the label at home designing reverent banners proclaiming the greatness of GOD and glory of Jesus. At Macos, I first used it on the giant manilla poster I designed for Mato's 97 percent victory as Entertainment prefect. Nevertheless, I also wrote a religious column with the signature name 'Runaway Devil' incorporating inspirational words alongside suitable images on one of the sub-blackboards in our class. Some thought I needed help because I called myself a 'devil', but as they began understanding my messages, they begged for more but I had to stop by Senior 6. The blackboard space was too small for all the writers to exploit. By the end of 2001, classmates had started calling me 'Atelier'. It is the approval ratings of Macos schoolmates that really made me do my level best as an artist. The story about how a Senior 2 girl was desperately looking for me to complete her 'Agriculture Tools' Chart deeply warmed my heart. I finally did it for her and she was very pleased with my strokes. More work was allocated to me by classmates and I even designed my Senior 5HEL Class Timetable (Read and Pray) like no other artist before or after me. It was drawn for the glory of GOD, the Greatest Objet d' Art Designer. The class teacher was so impressed that he gave me the priviledge of designing the one for the following year. Being the patron of the school magazine called The Macorean, Mr. Mugasa also appointed me Headline Designer on merit. I was given an ID without being elected by students as was the procedure. Many Art students used to ask for my opinion on several Art topics. One of them in my HEL combination, named Patricia (whom my hostel decker mate in Senior 5 actually thought was my girlfriend because we looked complementary together. She was whimsical and looked a bit like rastafarian Lauryn Hill), asked me to illustrate her storybook entitled 'A Time to Cry' in order to compete favourably at the annual NABOTU (National Book Trust of Uganda) Secondary Schools Book Writing Competition. She won 200,000 UgX for the effort. I was happy to be a part of her success. Another classmate Lionel from Rwanda for whom I designed a bookcover about the Genocide was also honoured.
The class monitor, a good friend of the two writers and a very intellectual Kenyan-born Indian (with maternal roots in Kaberamaido, Eastern Uganda), named Arshad also inspired me greatly. He later became a prefect carrying on from his O'Level experience at Macos. Somehow, I believe he is the Guardian Guru (forgive me for the word choice) who renewed my belief in myself at Macos.
(Aiko's Divine Blog on Wednesday 15 August 2007 after Arshad invited me to design a 'Finding Nemo' mural in his Shell Muyenga Pet Shop: "Arshad is like a 'matchbox' that lights up a matchstick. My flame might not burn for long but it can definitely set off a bigger fire. Without Arshad, I do not think I would have got as much attention.")
It was his discussion with Mato about how to campaign for the 2001 prefect elections that made me scribble some ideas that grabbed his attention. From then onwards, he made me design so many pieces within two years, mainly for school events and themes. He always encouraged me by being a good and respectful friend. He even used to wonder which girl was always in my bed to motivate me to work at that rate of excellence, hahaha! Creepy stuff! While very busy preparing for the 2002 Macos Open Day (where parents, well wishers and old students alike come to view exhibitions by different classes or clubs in the school), Arshad organised a gambling game called 'Tombola' and to advertise it, he entrusted to me the work of designing the posters. I made around 3 different versions on big manilla charts including 2 more for Star Supermarket who were sponsoring the game (five in total). It was very tiresome but enjoyable because while making the final two, a friend one class below me left me with his CD player while he went to practise for Simba House where I also belonged; It was already MAPA season. I was completely mesmerised by Usher's song entitled "Help Me" and made it my AikoGraphics theme song. The Literature class which was going to stage plays for the visitors also needed charts to illustrate the characters in the books and I made 3 charts 'Literature Come Alive' besides taking part in one of the plays acting as the blind prophet 'Teiresias' in the story entitled 'Oedipus'. While looking for an artist to illustrate a prehistoric man, the beloved and humorous History teacher, Mrs. Okello asked the class who the Best Artist was. Guess whose name was mentioned in a chorus? "If the spirit of nationalism has led you here, welcome to the History Expo..."
Other notable pieces I was commissioned to design at Macos were a banner on manilla paper entitled 'Let Us Prey 2002: Never Challenge the Lion in it's own Den' for my house Simba (the Defending Champions of the MAPA [Music and Performing Arts] Festival where I acted as a priest in the Best Play of 2001); Two posters for classmate Karen Hasahya advertising the screening of the educative African drama entitled 'Consequences' by the Maisha Club (An AIDS Awareness Association at Macos); Two posters publicising the Rugby game in which we lost miserably to my former school SMACK [for the Rugby Captain Allan Lwanga (aka Baluugu), also a SMACK old boy sold with me to Macos]; 6HEL Declaration of the Intention to Inspire Others Before We Expire; Macos Interact Club logo; Two manilla posters inviting students to submit brilliant ideas to be used in developing the Macos website and an Election poster for Daniel Asiimwe (Health and Mess); Philip Ekwang's '2002 Arsenal Double' Scrapbook ;plus menus for two Senior 6 Food and Nutrition students as they did their UACE Practicals: Ndemele, the finalist who pleaded more for me to draw his menu (which I did overnight) after I had willingly done another for his coursemate, brought me a delicious gravy-accompanied chicken cake he had made in the exam. It was so tasty that it summarised the whole experience I had enjoyed at Macos in two years. Indian icon Mahatma Gandhi once said, " A customer is the most important visitor on our premises... We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to serve him."
Extra inspirations at Macos besides well illustrated books and Marvel comics were the Awake , Time plus Newsweek Magazines mainly from Innocent Ikinyang nicknamed Inno, Hydra (another Itesot, my best friend at Macos and an alter ego, I guess, since teachers and students confused us); and the unbelievably film-like Mad Magazines borrowed from another SMACK old boy Ivan Musoke aka Soki. Ivan was widely regarded as a 'walking dictionary' because of his mastery of the English language but I think he was more than just that, maybe a 'moving encyclopedia' too. Without regular ink drawings of my favourite Arsenal stars, I do not think I would have become comfortable with the pen. The first ink pieces that gave me a glimpse of what I was capable of were made in 2000 at SMACK, a Portrait of Bob Marley for my deskmate Rwamukaga (aka Sato, Batusai, Slasher) plus an awe-inspiring portrait of my Best Gunner at that time, a World Cup winning French Midfielder (the long haired Emmanuel Petit ). I had been an Arsenal fan for only two seasons but kept drawing Arsenal players like a flood. That was actually the time my Best Gunner of All-time Thierry Henry (signed in 1999) was beginning to rise to sizzling levels. He appeared in almost all my Art Books though I featured the stars of my Second Favourite Club (Real Madrid) too, alongside adorable movie stars, musicians, sportsmen, politicians and famous celebrities. Since Mato was a basketball die hard, I also made for him some portraits of basket bursting hunks like Vince Carter and Allen Iverson.
Uganda Christian University, Mukono Campus was really the first institution where I used the name 'AikoGraphics'. At Macos I was so coy that I did not want to show off by writing my name on the front side of my pieces. So I always put it behind because I wanted GOD to take all the glory even though I also used the 'Atelier' and 'Imitari' trademarks. It was 'the image of GOD' I was trying to market. At UCU, that mentality changed. From September 2003 to graduation in August 2006, I was almost like the Emuron (Itesot for Wizard) of Graphics. So many art lovers consulted me. Ronnie Otyek, a trustworthy friend from Lira, nephew to Cecilia Ogwal and my old boy at both Kalinabiri Primary School (1995-6) and UCU (2003-6) called me 'the best artist in the country'. My secret was communication with GOD and I designed various portraits on manilla including one for Paul Amoru who became our Mass Communication Member of Parliament. My campus breakthrough actually came when I designed a poster to campaign for his candidature as Guild President 2005 to 6. Guess who won among the 3 candidates standing. Meanwhile I also designed another for John Mary Semakula who replaced him as our MP and for Tom Isingoma who also had a cabinet post. The three big men paid me for the great work. Paul was surprisingly into printing and back home he used to work with his father. At St. Michael Royale Hostel, we teamed up to design the Media Link logo and constitution; the UCU Lango Students Association logo and T-Shirts; plus Volleyball team jerseys with customised names for the players. He helped me practice screen printing with a squeegee (press) which I used to ignore and left me with the paints which I used for more work, printing names and numbers on T-Shirts for Naasa (the Muslim hostel cleaner); Jonathan Kyeyune, a BBA finalist and myself. They were both good friends of mine and great soccer talents. Other Election posters at UCU were for Jude Muyanja (Guild Speaker 2006-7), and Mutaganda (MP BBA 2006-7). I enjoyed the latter's victory party. Also at UCU, I drew a DTP (Disturbing tha Peace, borrowing from the Philadelphia 76ers crest's look) logo for Kim (John Kimani Muchina); a portrait of Alpha's deceased grandfather, Marsha's girlfriend; Anto's girlfriend (A Beautiful Smile); Dani's lover; Mabiti's lover; 'PIMP' logo for M. Alibhai, Mcool's door; 'The Effort' Door-Sign for Morgan; and also designed an All Saints Wellspring (Choir) logo for the conversational I.T. scholar Albert; several designs for Jimmy Rogers (An Education Graduate 2003-6, aka Musomesa, Ole, Jimmtex); Arua Education and Sports Promotion Association logo and flag for Manasseh (aka Chief); ULTACLE (Ultimate Action League) club logo and FDC (Forum for Democratic Change) banner for Kisangala Onghwens; File covers for Sharpe Cole Nimusiima, and a number of girls in my Mass Communication Class of 2006 among many other pieces...
The Head of my Mass Commmunication Faculty Ben Bella Illakut also motivated me because students adored his stories and looked up to him. Although he was just a hilarious (hahaha) and knowledgeable 61 year old Newswriting lecturer from Teso, his comments about my creative mind and the powerful way I design my name made me feel I could also reach the sky just like how my mother encouraged me before I joined university, "Since others made it, you can also make it." Funnily, Ben Bella studied during my dad's career at Makerere and was the first Journalsim graduate under Amin's Chancellorship. I cannot wait to live the prophecy where he said that in future, my classmates might find me "relaxing at Mombasa Beach... on the sand". In the town of Mukono, I was blessed when Paul Amoru introduced me to Dabros Designs Art Workshop (run by a brotherhood) on Kayunga Road, during his presidential campaign period. They actually printed Paul's general posters and leaflets. With Mosh as manager of the brothers who also have 2 bureaux and a boutique near The Nest Restaurant, I learnt a lot from them besides giving them work to do for me. Although I reside in Kampala, I'm still a Mukono Town lad because of the bi-weekly campus newspaper which started in May 2007. I believe it is a cartooning vision brought to life for me and my motivators including Gordon (Art.com aka Tsunamistic) who wanted to learn my style when I was a finalist. He submitted to The Standard newsroom a personal research book I had given him to learn cartooning and inking with and said I deserved the job more than other "fake pretenders" he had seen applying. He just did not know how to contact me (since his phone had been stolen and everyone he asked did not have my mobile phone number) when it was advertised that the upcoming university paper was searching for a cartoonist. I met him after getting the job thinking he also wanted to get the job using my research work because the main editors were my coursemates and had given the book back to me.
Among the beautiful women at UCU, I can say my biggest motivators were:
1. Hellen (The fantastic Queen-like half sister of my 1996 classmate at Kalinabiri was my undisputed choice for Miss UCU even without the forbidden beauty pageants);
2. Em (a classmate who bravely called me 'Boyfi' around February 2005 and I just could not ignore her positive attitude, it lifted me up from my shadowy doldrums. She was the third best overall Mass Communication Graduate 18 months later and guess who was the only successful dude before her! I was the Best Male Mass Commer in our class, at least according to Department Results, and she knew it). Haters alledged things but I did not care what they knew [One paranormal secret I can reveal is that am a purposeful Survivor because of 'Em']. I know she is too funky for a brother like me but I treasure her friendship; plus
3. Megabyte (the first campus chick I fell in love with even when I did not ask for those feelings, until we grew apart when I stole one of her photos). Other girls also played motivational roles for me, but the above three stood out most. No one can separate me from my beliefs, affections, achievements and inspirations. Despite several job applications to numerous companies in the city, I realised that your corporate bosses cannot find for you "Happiness", it's just GOD's blessing.
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