Mister Burns chilling in my studio
If you ever meet him you would agree that Mister Burns has style, a personal style. He wears clothes with a playful attitude that ignores popular culture. He is totally an artist with a love for learning and new knowledge.Emmanuel Dudu introduced him to me, way back in the days when i moved around everywhere with a pencil and sketchpad in hand, drawing at every pause along the way. That afternoon way back, we chilled at his apartment off Adeniyi Jones Avenue in Ikeja. He cooked with a relish and will to please and surprise the taste-buds, After that, we smoked and I got that kind of happy that liberates me to paint without thinking about the use or costs.
Mister Burns knew how to inspire my muse-he has arguably the largest collection of my non-figurative works. I think he only paid with good food, music, and smoke. Then, that was all I needed to make me paint. It was not like I liked eating. Being a fairly good cook myself, I liked tasting good food. Burns Effiom has grown to be a recognizable face in the art world of Nigeria. He is also reputable as an interior designer,
We shared stories about friends and acquaintances, war stories and journeys, and explored the night pleasures on the dark streets of Allen Avenue. The only thing that really mattered to us was being artists. I don’t recall discussing business.Â
Whenever he visits my studio, he would rush at the secondhand Vanity Fair magazines I often bought from Broad street, Lagos. He absorbed all the information in the pages, and it became more obvious to me that he took in the text as deeply as I enjoyed the pictures in Vanity Fair. We would drink a bottle of red wine and talk Art till its time to go home. Our friendship paid bountifully for any flaws.I took this shot of Mister Burns a few days ago, when he came to check out my new studio space on Ado road, Ajah. He dresses for artists. You wont mistake his swag for anything less.
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