Imagining [im]possible futures through a black cultural lens.

The flashes of insight, the creative epiphany that "sees" a world that embraces the tribal African styles (jewelry, headdresses, beadwork) and stories through the medium of art

Process

It's important that the viewer can see the artist's techinique and also the journey on the page. I try to avoid making the drawings look too photorealistic - not a slick look - but I want to make sure that the truth of the subject shines through alongside my pre-determined intention and message.
- Dawn Collection #12
- Dawn Collection #4
- Commission #2 2020

Medium

Be Creative

My preferred medium of drawing is pencil and pastel, but I take great pleasure in mixing media and using mediums such as wax and paint to enhance features and add vibrancy and life to the works. After a decade of drawing with pencil and pastel, I have grown to love drawing with pen. This highly underrated medium is considered the most difficult among artists. You can not afford to make mistakes with pen, because once it's on the paper, it's almost impossible to remove it. That's why I work carefully and accurately. I am not trying to reproduce reality, but to create a reinterpretation of reality through an African lens - that's why I want to work quite loosely.

Sincerity in Creativity

Equal parts heart and mind.

Collections/Series

Re-imagining the traditional [tribal] African aesthetic in a modern world - using the faces of all races.
“If everyone helps to hold up the sky, then one person does not become tired.”

Download My Portfolio

Feel free to download my portfolio and take a look at some of my work or keep scrolling to see more :)

About Me

It ain't as hard as picking cotton

I was born in Mpumalanga and grew up in Johannesburg. I am 34 years old and consider myself an emerging Afrofuturist portrait artist. The composition of my drawings is crucial - they are based on the law of proportion known as the "golden ratio" which was an aesthetic principle of the ancient Greeks. This is because I focus on the subtle and insignificant features of a person's face. My experience has taught me that "what you leave out is just as important as what you add" and that " accidents are also part of the process." This led to a new style of portraying African identity that is not limited to Black Africans. The people portrayed are a range of different races and genders that fall under the term "African" (residents/citizens of Africa)

Inspiration

Afrofuturism, African Literature, Poetry and African folklore
Creativity

African experience that aims to connect those from the black diaspora with forgotten African ancestry
African aesthetic

African Tribal wear, jewellery and headdresses
Medium

Pencil, Pastel, Paint (watercolor and acrylic), Pen. Mixed media including wax