I always felt different in my thoughts and being the person I am. I always do the opposite of others. At a young age, I fiddled with copper wire and plasticine to create figures and scenes from Robinson Crusoe. I also began drawing; it was a small hobby of mine that really developed when I was in high school. Sketching is something that I feel is part of my family. As a carpenter, my father sketched out his projects before he began them. My brothers and cousins are always sketching anything from comic figures to city scenes.
As a student I got questioned when new graffiti appeared in the school but because of that same reputation I was awarded a prize for being ‘Senior Artist’. The prize was my first sketch book. By the time I was in Form 6, my mother recognized my skill and interest in art and she brought me to the Oceania Centre, I came to the Centre each day after school.
My first impression of the artists was that they were genius and I was just a student, by far the youngest artist. When I received my first A3 piece of canvas I was awestruck; same with the first time I held a paintbrush because I had never experienced this kind of art. During my first workshop I tackled a 2×2 meter canvas; I was the last artist to finish because it took a lot of time to express my ideas on canvas. That painting was about the 2000 coup. A politically influenced piece, it represented how Fiji stood alone while other countries tried to tell us what to do. I painted this by a face with no ears. The wrinkled up face looks back suggesting the suffering of Fijian people at that time.
Since then, I have been influenced by many different ideas. I see ideas in the intricate grain of the smallest breadfruit seed or piece of wood. Even a simple word from a conversation can create the feeling of a painting in my mind. I fi nd ideas in the simple lines of nature; the colors I use are also reflective of nature. Since my first workshop my style and the colors I use have developed into another level. Most importantly, I have learned how to hold a paintbrush and when I see a blank piece of canvas I have a feeling of what I am supposed to paint on it.
When I get close to the canvas, my pencil does the talking. I still sketch as a hobby; it takes my mind off of my daily routines. For a time I was only painting part time but then I realized that the other jobs were not taking me anywhere, I was simply sitting and watching people pass by me. I realized that my life has more meaning if I paint.
Now, I am committing to my art. I am concentrating on my painting and I hope that it continues to develop. I see myself doing more in the future, perhaps even some sculpture.
One of the moments that drives me is from my first exhibition with the Red Wave Collective when a top artist told me that I was not good enough. What I do now is a response to that; response is developing in the sense that my pictures and style are never still. I am always thinking of different ways to apply my ideas so that I can explore new ways of projecting my images.
I love seeing the expressions on people’s faces when they see my work. My greatest reward is to see their enjoyment. My art makes people wonder about how I create and causes them to ask me questions. I continue to create and strive to develop my art to make my mother proud of me
because she had the insight to bring me to the Oceania Centre to become the artist I am today.
Artwork
Education
• Fiji Institute of Technology – One Semester of Graphic Design
• D.A.V Boys College – Completed Form 5
Experience
• Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture, Suva, Fiji
– Artist in Residence 2000 to Present
Awards
• Munro Leys Art Exhibition, USP – Second Prize 2011
• Crest Agriculture Show – Established Artist Category
– First Prize 2011
• National Fine Arts Winner – First Prize 2007
Exhibitions
• Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture, Suva, Fiji 2000 to Present (3 annual exhibits)
• Beaumont Art Studios, Vancouver, Canada 2012
• Crest Agriculture Show, Art Competition, Suva, Fiji 2011
• Dreaming Festival, Sydney, Australia 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010
• Art on the Island, Lelovia Island, Fiji 2009
• Art on the Island, Nadi, Fiji 2004 to 2008
• National Fine Arts Winner, 1st Prize 2007
• Melanesian Arts Festival, Suva, Fiji 2006
• Red Cross Fundraiser, Suva, Fiji 2005
Projects
• Cultural Exchange, carve 12 foot totem pole (Canada and Fiji), Oceania, Suva, Fiji 2012
• Southern Cross Christian Conference, 500 carved turtles, USP, Suva, Fiji 2012
• Cultural Exchange, carve 25 foot canoe, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, Canada 2011 to 2012
• Fiji Environmental Program, 3 panel painted mural, Nadi, Fiji 2011
• World Expo, Fiji Pavilion, Shanghai, China 2010 (1st Place for environmental pavilion)
• Climate Change Installation, 8 Sculptures, USP, Suva, Fiji 2010
• Domoni Karman Production, backdrop for opera, Suva, Fiji 2010
• Yellow Ribbon Project, Fiji Arts Council, Suva, Fiji 2009 to 2010
• Uprising Backpackers Resort, mural, Navua, Fiji 2008 to 2010
• Shoreline Fashion, clothing designs, Suva, Fiji 2008 and 2009
• USP Campus, murals, Suva, Fiji 2009
• O.D.T Productions, backdrop for performance, USP, Suva, Fiji 2003 to 2009
• Koro Va Community Project for Red Wave Collective, Mural, Fiji 200