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The gift was a painting done by renowned Kenyan visual artist Patrick Kinuthia/MARGARET WAHITO

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Kinuthia did Uhuru’s painting to George W. Bush

Kinuthia realised his drawing talent when he was 12 years old in primary school/MARGARET WAHITO

Kinuthia realised his drawing talent when he was 12 years old in primary school/MARGARET WAHITO

“When I quit my job, I remember I left with I think Sh5,000. So I went home and told God ‘look at what they have done to me. What I am going to do?” So there were some paintings I used to do on paper and would put them on top of my wardrobe in my one-roomed house in Thika. I took those drawings on a Sunday to town and I sold all of them. I was released on a Friday and took them on Sunday. They were about 7 pieces and I sold all of them to a guy who said, ‘do more for me,” he recalls.

Even as his customer base continued to grow, Kinuthia was facing another major difficulty; alcoholism and smoking. This did not only compromise his work but almost killed his career.

“I was very derelict, I can say. I mean, drinking and smoking. I remember I would smoke a packet of cigarettes a day. I mean, living that reveller’s lifestyle which many artists do. So even as I would paint, I would drink all the money, come back and bother the same shop owners and sometime they would have to buy my work reluctantly because I am given money yesterday and today I have no money. Sometimes I ended up selling to them something that resembles a sketch. And this started affecting my life and it got to a point where I ‘gave’ my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I got saved in the year 2000. The smoking went after 15 years,” he says.

After making this and other tough positive decisions, Kinuthia’s profession also took a turn around. He managed to get direct clients who would buy his work at better prices. He also managed to take his work to galleries where the paintings now canvas, would be sold at prices “worth the input”.

Kinuthia has now grown to owning his multimillion studio located in Ruaka in Kiambu County. From the initial cost of about Sh600 a piece, his paintings now range from Sh30,000 to Sh100,000. “I have sold a piece even for Sh350,000. It depends with the client and also the job needed.”

The father of two boys, three and seven years, says his children have also taken up his drawing skills but as a father, his work is to nature them.”But my wife is a teacher, she doesn’t.”

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