A Morning Drive (2023)

Acrylic on Canvas | 132cm x 149cm.

This painting was inspired by my early morning drives from the Lagos mainland to Victoria Island during my internship as a chef. I’d leave the house at 4:30 a.m. every day for that long commute—about three hours each way—to work in one of Lagos’ top hotel kitchens. It was intense, but I loved it. I got along well with the team, and by the end of my time there, the executive chef even asked me to stay on as a commis chef. But I couldn’t. I still had school to finish in Nairobi.

One morning, near the end of that internship, something hit me differently. I was just on the road, like usual, but I suddenly felt deeply grateful for how far I’d come, for the chance to do what I love. It felt like something bigger than me was with me in that car. I started to pray. And in that moment, joy just flooded in.

This piece tries to capture that stillness. That quiet, emotional clarity you sometimes get when the world is just beginning to wake up, and you feel like you're exactly where you're meant to be—even if just for a moment.

Available