By Isanella Patoir
Isanella@newsroom.gy
Renowned Guyanese singer and musician, Eddy Grant met with the talented young artist, Ransford Simon, at Trans Guyana’s Ogle Office on Wednesday.
The meeting was held for Grant to sign his name on an aircraft painted with a portrait of himself by Simon.
Simon has been entrusted with the task of painting several Trans Guyana aircraft tails using his artistic skills.
He said it was an honour to paint Grant’s portrait.
“I am really honoured to be sitting right next to a living legend. I always wanted to do a mural of somebody like Eddy Grant, we were always thinking of a wall somewhere in Plaisance but then something happened and we were like we should definitely do this on a plane,” Simon said.
The young indigenous artist proudly said he is setting the bar for other artists and pointed out that this was the first time a mural of someone had been painted on an aircraft in Guyana. He hopes to inspire other musicians and artists with this achievement.
Simon also expressed his admiration for Grant.
“Thanks for being an inspiration. I’ve always liked your music and I was telling you in the car that one of my favourite songs is ‘Boys in the street,” Simon told Grant.
With great pride, Grant promotes his birth country wherever his music take him, having just been inducted into the London “Music Walk of Fame.”
He was deeply touched and honored on Wednesday to see his portrait featured on Trans Guyana aircraft, which travel across the entire country.
Grant said that having his face on a Trans Guyana plane felt “so natural”, noting that in the future, other young talented Guyanese would share the same honour.
In a show of unwavering patriotism, Grant said, “Guyana is the greatest country in the world because we don’t need validation from anyone else. We possess far more than just gold, diamonds, and oil; we have got great people.”
Reflecting on the initial unveiling of the painting earlier this year, Grant said he was shocked as he acknowledged the wealth of talent in the country.
“I was really shocked when I saw that, there is lots of talent here, it is just about opportunity and capacity, he [Simon] had the capacity and Trans Guyana give him the opportunity.”
Lets give a tip of the cap to the Correia family for this initiative…..
And that painter……wow…..nicely done Mr. Simon.