Sandra Wauye
Sandra Wauye is a self-taught oil painter and illustrator based in Mombasa, Kenya. In her paintings, vivid colours are an integral element she enjoys exploring. Sandra opens up about how an unexpected job loss pushed her to embark on a career as an artist.
Take us through your artistic journey…and why/how you decided to work with oil paints? There are very few artists who work in oils professionally.
Growing up (pre-high school), my father bought us plenty of art supplies, mainly watercolours. I practiced a lot by doing portraits from newspapers. I wanted to challenge myself to do them without having to trace them. Then when I got to high school, I picked art as one of my subject options.
It was when I was in university (studying Civil Engineering) when I met Yona Mudibo, a Mombasa based artist, that I decided to take painting seriously (not just as a hobby). He was making a living out of art and had even won some awards and seemed to be doing well for himself. We got to talking, I learnt that he had started out by working with oils, and he decided to give me a couple of pointers when I did my first oil painting. He also told me that oils are one of the hardest mediums to work with, let alone learn. I told him, “Oh! Okay. That’s what I want!” (laughs).
When I started out, the only mediums available to me (besides charcoal), were oils and acrylics. I hated acrylics because they don’t have the same translucency and mellow effect that oil does; they often give a plastic finish. I don’t like that about them. Also, when I looked through Instagram, I was most inspired by oil paintings. So for those reasons, I settled on oil.
(Fast-forward to more recently) I started painting more consistently two years ago after losing my job as a civil engineer just when COVID-19 hit. However, I made the most of the situation by using the time to focus on my painting. Eventually, the situation worked out for me since I had bought art supplies in bulk when I was employed. I got down to painting and experimenting.
What avenues were you using to sell your work?
I have sold most of my work through Instagram. The first two pieces were bought by an American lady who reached out to me through the platform. At first I didn’t think she was serious and that she wouldn't follow through after her inquiry, but she did. It was encouraging, and it felt so good that it motivated me to keep painting. I sold the next piece to a friend, and a couple of pieces more through a curator.
What messages or themes do you address in your work?
People! Though recently I realized that I like painting random items too because they help me develop skills I had not previously considered. Painting still life has helped me develop my technical skills. For instance, I am currently enjoying painting fabric, whereas five months ago, it was my least favorite thing to paint. I'd rush over painting the fabric sections, but now I'm taking my time and focusing on it. I'm enjoying it more and getting better at it at the same time.
But mostly, I like to paint people. Though I don’t like painting happy people (laughs). I’m always exploring people’s resilience. When I hear people’s stories and what they’ve been through, it amazes me how resilient people are. I don't even try to imagine myself in their shoes; whether I would overcome the situations or not I don't know. I like to explore people’s darkest experiences—the point in their lives at which they felt the most broken and vulnerable— I think that's what I try to capture when I paint people.
I have been doing new things lately outside my comfort zone, spending time with people (which I don't normally do), and it's opened my mind so much and I am excited about the many ideas that have been bubbling as a result.
Soul Fire
Do you research your work before painting? If yes, how do you approach or carry out the research?
Most of my research is technical, like carrying out colour studies. There are a few painters whose work I study and try to emulate. I really enjoy seeing expressive brush strokes in other people’s works; I’d like to be able to get there myself. I also look into the use of colour; in the beginning, I was afraid of using bright colours, but I have now been sharpening that skill with each painting I’ve been working on. I also like to study people’s full human figure paintings to see how they’ve portrayed their subjects; how they've used posture to draw their audiences in.
Do you have a network of artists that you rely on?
I have not had a chance to interact with many artists, mostly because I’m based in Mombasa. There are a handful of them that I met on my visits to Nairobi, (from Kobo Trust) like Paul Njihia, Onyis Martin, Cyprian Rasto, Nadia Wamunyu, Sheila Bayley (who I met through Tewa of TEWASART GALLERY). I also reached out to two artists based in Karen Village, Allan Kioko and Samuel Muriithi.
Being a predominantly Muslim community in Mombasa, the artist community isn't very developed. I haven't had an opportunity to really engage with full time artists, but I have tried putting myself out there, and truth is, I have seen the scene grow gradually.
Which artists’ works have you been enjoying and why?
Here at home, I particularly adore Allan Kioko’s work because of his figures and use of colour. I have been enjoying Elias Mung’ora’s (sometimes it’s hard for me to believe he uses acrylics), Samuel Muriithi’s (his still life work, I really liked seeing his works in person, and they are impressive even though done in acrylic), Rasto’s, Martin’s ink works, and Njihia’s large oil paintings. Boniface Maina as well, I love his distorted human figures.
Personally, I don't enjoy abstract art very much. I find that abstract art does not make for stimulating conversations because everyone has a wild idea about an artwork. I draw most of my inspiration for techniques and colours from figure paintings. I like relatable work.
Internationally, I've been consuming a lot of murals, and I'm fascinated by how artists from other countries create murals that resemble canvas paintings. Eloise Gillow’s murals are awesome! I love how Johan Barios depicts human figures both in graphite and oils; I feel like he really captures his subject’s emotions though their whole body. And there’s Denis Sarazhin, Bernadett Timko, Simon Davis and Tania Rivilis, in whose works you can see her individual brush strokes which I find really, really cool. I’ve also been learning a lot from classical paintings. At the momentum awed by Thomas Moran’s landscapes.
Untitled
Please describe your dream project if you have one at the moment? Are there things you want to work on?
I hope to get to work on murals. At least two. In the past, I have helped someone paint a mural; now I want one of my own design.
How do you define success? What does it look like to you?
First and foremost! Success for me is being able to depend on art as a career, so that my parents can stop asking me to look for a job. To acquire financial freedom from my art; to thrive (!) not just survive. Besides that, I want to be able to share my work in as many spaces as possible; I want to travel with my work too! I also want to keep learning. Learning is one of my strong suits. The more I get better, the more I want to learn.
How do you determine what to charge for your work? This is something a lot of artists struggle with…
At the moment, my pricing is determined by the sizes of the paintings and the value I assign to my work. There are pieces whose process I enjoyed more than the final outcome; for these I may set the price lower, but not too low. But I have a limit price that I can’t go below. The works I cherish/I’m proud of most, I price higher; and if people show more interest as well I charge more.
What are your least and most favorite parts of professional art?
Marketing is my least favorite aspect of my business. But I keep at it. It is a dream to get clients on social media who love my work and keep coming back. It’s hard, but it will be done. I think if I can keep working to establish an audience and market for my work on my own (even if it’s on Instagram), that’ll be good for me.
My favorite part of this field is meeting new artists, especially those who are good conversationalists. And of course being able to EARN from my work! That feels really good!
Holding back
Describe some challenges that you are experiencing as an artist, and how are you working to address them?
Like I said, marketing is one of my biggest challenges. I am hoping to promote my work online more through creating fun content around it; and show how fun my work can be. To also show the frustrating behind the scenes.
I have also been applying for residencies and opportunities to meet more experienced artists to learn from. I’m keen on learning from more established artists on how they navigated the art market.
How do you stay motivated when facing some of these challenges?
How do I stay motivated? I'm going to describe it in two scenarios. When I was working as an engineer, I knew I was a fast learner, but somehow, I still felt intimidated and “not good enough” in my field. But as an artist, even when I know that I’m not yet where I want to be, I’m proud of the things I keep producing. Even during the most frustrating day, I’m content. I’m happier now. I’m more broke, but (laughs!) yeah! I’m not even sure how I stay motivated, but my art is so integral to me, that it pushes me towards it more than I do to it, even though I recognize that there’s more to me than my art.
Onto the final question to close it off, what advice would you give an artist who is starting their career today?
Okay. First of all, find a way to get/make money on the side, don’t sleep hungry. Art is an expensive venture. I still try to do a few side hustles.
Be confident. Do not listen to too many voices, but do not have an ego that prevents you from learning. Know when advice works for you and when it does not, because your work is ultimately your responsibility.
Out of curiosity, what do you think it would take for an artist to make a living solely out of art in the absence of a side hustle?
I would say an artist needs to sell at least one artwork every month. Other business initiatives to consider are selling merchandise and holding workshops and art classes. Most importantly, learn how to invest and grow earnings from sales.
