Bakersfield College hosted a presentation by Kenyan Artist Andrew Kamiti on April 5 in the Edward Simonsen Performing Arts Center. The presentation started with BC professor Krista Moreland introducing Kamiti and giving a brief introduction.

Kamiti then took over and showed a video clip about his home country, Kenya. The video showed Kenya’s various terrains and wildlife as well as the tourism spots.

He then shifted to a slideshow about his sketches and drawings of the wildlife in Kenya. Most notable was the process and different techniques that he has to do in order to complete his art.

The presenter mentioned that it takes about a week to complete his drawings, which start off as a simple sketch of a picture that he took. He then layers his sketches with more details that create different textures. He stated that he had developed a hobby of sketching as a child and later became his passion.

In his earlier works as an artist he focused primarily on insects and plants then made a change to wildlife mammals in 2008.

One of the many spots Kamiti pointed out as being a phenomenal place to visit was Lake Nakuru where there are many flamingos that reside there. The audience seemed very intrigued by all the slides that he showed.

After his presentation the audience got the chance to ask a few questions. When asked how does he feel when he draws? Kamiti replied “It makes me feel very happy.” Another interesting question was when he was asked how long it takes him to take picture of the wildlife? Kamiti said “It usually take about 3-4 days.”

He explained that he takes hundreds of photos and choses about 3 to work from for his drawings.

After the presentation the audience had the opportunity to view his work up close. Moreland expressed her satisfaction with the event, “It was a great opportunity,” she said, “I would like there to be more guess speakers, students really enjoy this learning experience.” She also mentioned how she hopes to develop a program, “Nexus” that helps bridge the gap of learning for students.

BC Student Edna Martin expressed a few words about the event, “It was fun and enjoyable,” Martin said, “I need fun events like these to make learning more interesting.”

Another BC student Reyna Ruiz also enjoyed the presentation, “I would recommend other students to attend future event like these because it’s pretty cool.

Kamiti also expressed his feelings toward his first time being a speaker at any college. “I loved it” he said “I would do it again if asked to.” He also mentioned that he enjoys traveling but will most likely stay in Kenya and use it’s wildlife as his primary subjects for his art.