By Sylvester Asoya
Sam Ovraiti epitomizes the revolutionary and rich Auchi Art School; but this is understandable. After all, his generation brought Auchi Art School to prominence with their experimental and innovative works especially in painting and sculpture. Ovraiti who was in the forefront of that revolution that began over four decades ago, remembers the highpoints of that era. Interestingly, that age of relevance and great recognition took off with the First National Art Competition, sponsored by Mobil Producing Nigeria and won by Ovraiti in 1983. Like many fresh art graduates of that period, Ovraiti has also won other national and international awards as a painter.
Indeed, that era was the golden age of Auchi Art School. In fact, that Mobil Producing Nigeria competition gave the school an unprecedented introduction to a world already absorbed by older art schools. And Auchi resonated beyond Nigeria’s shores. Naturally, the traditional media at the time, feasted on the groundbreaking art championship story which effectively positioned Auchi for a future that was already destined to be great. According to Ovraiti, the media was awash with headlines such as: Auchi School Tops Them All, The Only Water Colour Piece Wins The First Price and Auchi Shines, among other inspiring captions.
But beyond the rousing headlines, Ovraiti also became an instant star as his self-confidence surged. He had the rare privilege of being taken on a special tour of Mobil facilities like a long-awaited crown prince. He visited 13 far-flung rigs by helicopters in the company of a media crew that covered every activity on and off shore. In fact, the young man had the fun of his life.
Eventually when Ovraiti returned to his alma mater to teach, his self-esteem had soared. Students of Auchi Art School were happy to receive him not just as a brilliant artist and art instructor but also as a role model and hero. “That was the mood when I took up that teaching appointment at Auchi and I was determined to make an impact in the academic and social lives of my students who looked up to me. I taught by example and ensured that no student failed my courses; they had no reason not to pass though. I taught for close to 10 years as a lecturer. Today, most of my students are famous; some have even become bigger than me. That is the joy of every teacher”, he says.
Even though Ovraiti left formal teaching at the age of 33, he still looks back with nostalgia at his experiences and the impact he made on the lives and careers of his students. He recalls how a one-time United States ambassador to Nigeria, Lennon Walker came all the way from Lagos to Auchi to see him on account of some of his paintings. According to him, the ambassador and other embassy staff on his entourage were impressed by his solo exhibition at the Italian Embassy that year. “So, they came specifically to assist me. But after conducting them round the art studio, I pleaded with them to help my students because they (my students) were actually the ones who needed the assistance more than me. They obliged and I have remained grateful ever since for that gesture”.
Outside teaching and painting, Ovraiti is also an unusual book collector and a reading artist. At his gallery in Lagos, books on art and different subjects compete for space with works of art. He insists that an artist and anyone for that matter must read to become a better human being and a global citizen.
“Art questions creation. Art also adds to creation. But art cannot tell you everything until you read to find out more. Therefore, all kinds of information from books are useful to me; so that when I am making a design, I will be informed. The society is confused today because we have uninformed people making decisions. That is why I must read to understand myself, understand people and the society. That, I believe is how I can contribute meaningfully to the growth of the world”, Ovraiti reveals.
But his music is also as interesting. Music came quite early for him in a church that engendered healthy competition among young people through an active choir and great mentors. As a singer, Ovraiti also excelled. He later joined Labamba Records in Owerri with a few friends but left shortly after to continue his career in art.
No doubt, this great water colourist trained a good number of artists formally and informally. However, Ovraiti also deployed the same energy and ability on his children any time he was home. In fact, they remain the greatest beneficiaries of his enormous talent and creativity. All five of them are instrumentalists, artists, polyglots and footballers. According to him, Picasso did not have a son like him who measured up to his creativity, so he needed to empower his children beyond art because we are in a world of exchange. “I have five children, four boys and a girl. Two of them are now in the US. I trained them first to be human beings; a human being is somebody who is alive and constantly improving. I am happy to say that as children, they realized early, the benefits of the gifts of music, language (French) and other skills. I also trained them to shoot their videos. While you give them education, you must also bring out the talent in them, something they can use to serve their generation”, he states.
Ovraiti believes that to be the best, an artist must be focused and disciplined. A creative person, he insists, should think regularly and be prepared to deny himself certain things. He says that at 40, he had a dream. That was when he realized that the daily result of everyone depended largely on what the person did and what he or she did not do. “If you spend your time well, you will read newspapers in a car driven by a chauffeur. Therefore, if I must become a successful artist, certain things I used to do should stop. First, I stopped going to the Bar Beach to drink at night. I started spending more time in my studio so that I will be recognized and this took a level of discipline. In a short time, I improved on the things I did and it didn’t take time for me to be recognized. So, I became a better human being, a better business person and my relationship with others became better. Everything good will only come our way when we change the way we think and the way we look at things”, he reveals.
As they say, talent is never enough. And Ovraiti is a living example of that obviously true saying. But for Shaka Momoh, his good friend who recently passed on, Ovraiti may not have survived the usual lack of financial intelligence and related challenges creative people like him face. According to him, Momoh had just opened Planet One, a major event centre in Lagos those days and Ovraiti, naturally was asked to provide all the exotic and fitting art works for the exclusive and highly sort after venue. One day, the artist arrived and wanted to show off his striking works but his friend stopped him midway and gave him some hard lectures on being fortunate as an artist. That engagement helped him locate a good part of his compass for life’s journey and he remains very grateful to his departed friend.
“Momoh taught me how to be a fortunate artist. Before that unforgettable encounter, I was just creating art without paying attention to money. For me, art was already a treasure; so I did not need money. But Momoh said I should not pride myself only as a bright and famous artist. According to him, I can be both famous and fortunate. My life changed after that. And I started making money from my art”, he reveals.
Certainly, Ovraiti has found his rhythm. And he is thankful to God, Auchi Art School, his teachers, colleagues and students for taking him through a road he would not mind travelling a second time.
(This article was first published in Alice, the in-flight journal of Air Peace.)
• Asoya is a prolific art writer and a public affairs analyst.