Francis Jide’s journey from pharmacy to fine art is a testament to passion and purpose. In this exclusive interview, he shares the inspirations behind his work, his creative process, and the deeper meanings embedded in his art.
49th: Let’s start with your journey—how did your love for painting begin, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?
Francis Jide: I know every artist says this, but I’ve been painting for as long as I can remember. I’ve been drawing and sketching for as long as I can remember. Getting of age and writing jamb, my parents were insistent on pursuing something in the medical or professional space and so I studied pharmacy in uni. All through school, I was painting. When I was done with school, it was a no-brainer to pursue an art career. It’s a voice and an expression. Art is the only way I can say what I have on my mind. Paintings and drawings come easier to me than words, and it’s all I have to say or express what I feel.
49th: Ah. The ‘professional career’ pressure.
You’ve successfully struck a balance between the two, though. That’s super admirable.
Francis Jide: I do my best. Thank you!
49th: Your work has a unique style. Can you walk us through your creative process—how does an idea transform into a finished piece on canvas?
Francis Jide: The ideas come almost spiritually. At my last exhibition, it was almost like I was attending my own exhibition. The works were speaking to me; I looked at them, observed, and learned some things from them. It was almost like I wasn’t the one that painted these works, so largely, it was spiritual. We’re like pencils in the hands of God, and God just uses us to tell these stories, inspire people and connect with the community.
The more you sit down and allow the ideas to marinate, the more you delve and allow it t almost consume you. I’m a portrait artist, and I take my inspiration from people looking at people’s faces; almost every face has a story to tell, so just allow it to pass through you.
49th: Spiritually! That’s really deep. Do you think a spiritual experience is something that can only come when the skillset is innate— a talent, as opposed to when it’s learned?
Francis Jide: Definitely, you need to own the talent. Everybody has the gift, but it takes intentionality; you are saying this is what you want to do, and naturally, the more you do it, the more you get better at it. The inspiration definitely passes through a lot of people but it takes being intentional about the craft.
49th: Segueing into this, what are some of the biggest influences on your art—whether it’s other artists, personal experiences, or the world around you?
Francis Jide: I take inspiration from a lot of artists. Picasso was one person who showed me that art is a lifelong journey. As your life experiences change, the interpretation of your art will always reflect. I take inspiration from many modern artists, contemporary artists, and artists of the day, like Arinze and Ayanfe. These are people I follow on their journey, and I just see their works and can always gather inspiration from them.
Also, the more you look at people’s faces, the more you just see that you can tell a story. I also try to tap into the human conditions, so I touch on depression, anxiety and stuff that I’ve had to deal with and can interpret through my art. I speak on political issues as well cos
Femi Odugbemi thought me that as artists, you’re the voice of the people so I use my art to touch on social and political issues.
49th: I can tell that you’re very in touch with humanity. That’s amazing.
Speaking of how human beings impact your work, when people view your work, what emotions or thoughts do you hope they take away from it?
Francis Jide: When you come into my exhibition space, I want you to connect with the work and leave with a feeling regardless of the type of feeling it is. When you come in contact with the work, I want to hear your perspective so that if there’s something that I didn’t see, I can also learn from it. If anything, I just want the work to leave an impact on you and for you to
connect with the work.
49th: You are phenomenal as an artist, but if we were to humour fantasy—if you could swap lives with any artist in history for a day, who would it be and why?
Francis Jide: I do feel like every individual is a version of himself and we’re all interconnected in some type of way. My name is Babajide, and it means reincarnated from a different person, but just to humour that, maybe Van Gogh cos he’s someone who had to die for his work to gain some sort of recognition and just to know where he was painting his final pieces from. Maybe if he didn’t die, he’d never be the popular artist that he is today, so just to experience where he was painting those last fixes from would be a very interesting experience
49th: That’s a very…thoughtful response. Your art being so excellent reflects in your pattern of thought.
It was a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you so much for your time!
