Linda Jackson
Joanna Kane
Pauline Thomas
Blair Thompson
Project Developed & Residency Experience
When I was a young boy I used to steal artwork from my brother and pretend it was mine. Then, one day, I thought 'Why don't I do these myself?' and that's when I started drawing. It still took a while before I was confident enough to take my work into school, but when I eventually showed my friends they were all really impressed and I thought 'Ah ha! So I am an artist'. After that I started doing small workshops at high school.
I've been working as a professional cartoonist for 17 years now. I got my first cartoon printed in a magazine when I was 16. It's hard to survive as a painter in my country. The work is so time consuming and the galleries hang it for weeks or even months before they try to sell it. You don't find many people doing fine arts in Tanzania; everything is more commercial.
I remember someone handing me the information about the ROSL scholarship and I recognised it instantly because I knew other artists who had applied. Competitions are always exciting and, around the date the decision was being mad, I checked my email again and again. On the fourth day I was about to give up when the message showed up. The word 'congratulations' leapt out at me. I was working in a quiet office at the time, so I had to keep my screams to myself.
I liked the isolation of working up in Scotland. Of course, like most people, I felt a bit homesick at first but as time went by I thought 'yes, this is what I want'. It also gave me the chance to experiment with huge cartoon-style paintings for the first time.
When I leave the UK, I'm heading to China where I'm launching my own clothing range - shoes, shirts, everything. Will I stop doing the cartoons? Of course not. That's my passion and nothing will take that away.
Known or Anticipated Outcomes
Exhibition at the Jerwood Space, London, 13 July - 12 August 2005
Contact / Further Information
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||
|
||||||||||