From Crayons to Canvas: One-Year-Old Ghanaian Prodigy Makes Art History

In an interview with Sputnik Africa, the young artist's mother, Chantelle Kuukua Eghan, who is also an artist, stated that her son's artistic journey started when he was just 11 months old and could hold a brush.

"The painting he created, I believe, had different sets of colors, but he wanted to choose colors that complemented each other. That is when I realized that he has something inside him. That was when I applied for the Guinness World Record with him," she said.

She underlined that she encourages him to paint, yet she is not able to allow the kid to work in her own studio, as Ace Liam always wants to make his mother's finished paintings better by adding color.

"When he wants to paint, I make sure to make time for that out of my busy schedule. He tells me, 'Mama, I want to go to the studio,' even as late as midnight sometimes. I have to beg him and tell him, 'You know, it's too late; we cannot go to the studio.' Sometimes during the day, he wants to visit the studio two or three times back to back, even when it's time for his nap. So that is my way of nurturing and pushing the art to him," Chantelle explained.

Despite his talent, Ace Liam is a normal child and goes to swimming lessons, visits playgrounds, plays sports, and plays with other children.

"He's growing up, being a child at the same time. He's still painting when he wants," his mother underlined.

So far, she has noticed, among her genius son's favorite techniques, "painting flat and smudging."

"That's what he does a lot. And he has style; he creates abstract paintings. So, for now, it's more about smudging, brushstrokes, and blending," Chantelle said.

As for the Guinness World Record, Chantelle applied when Ace Liam was 10 to 11 months old, and it was a challenge to name the boy "the youngest artist."

"For example, they gave you so many rules that you have to follow. And some rules are challenging. We had to look for specialist witnesses, owners of galleries, and art professors to come and write letters, visit the exhibition, and say that, yes, it was actually true. The boy has done these works, described the paintings; is it actually of a professional standard?" the mother noted.

The difficulties of the process of getting the world record "were more like hurdles to overcome," Chantelle added.

Despite this, now Ace Liam has a lot of offers from galleries in different parts of the world that "want to work with him long-term."

"We are in talks with galleries from around the world who do want to represent him," Chantelle said.

But being the mother of a Guinness World Record holder who just turned two years old is a different experience, as at least at home he needs to have his diapers changed, Chantelle said.

"You get to see him in a different light when you go out, and everybody is treating him like a celebrity. Finding that balance and trying to raise and shape an individual to not only appreciate the privileges he has gotten," she emphasized. "But also form him as a human being that can become useful to society," she added.

"It's rewarding, it's challenging; it's just a balance of a ball of emotions that you have to get through daily," Chantelle concluded.