Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
GROWING up, Marshall Maphosa (22) from Gwanda struggled to express himself. At the age of eight, he turned to art as a way of managing his emotions. Maphosa creates his artwork using a pen through a method called cross-hatching. This linear drawing technique can create texture, light, shading and dimension by drawing lines both close together and apart.
He mainly produces portraits. Maphosa said he did not have many resources hence he learnt the art of making unique art using a pen. Over the years, he has learnt that drawing is a very effective means of communication and can be therapeutic.
“When we were at primary school, we used to do drawing and I liked it a lot. I used to do a lot of drawing and gradually it became a means for me to communicate and express myself. At that time, I didn’t understand what I was doing because I was still young.
“At the age of 15, that’s when I realised that art was my God-given talent and I resolved to pursue it. When I draw, I am expressing my feelings. I’m very sensitive and emotional and I sometimes fail to express myself. Through drawing, I’m able to cool down and at the same time use art as a way of communicating with people,” he said.
Maphosa specialises mainly in producing human portraits and sometimes animal drawings. He said while art heals him, he also wants to create memories for his clients by producing something memorable for them.
Maphosa prefers to produce portraits as they give a more intimate and personal reflection of a person. He said he loves to bring out the various emotions of people through his artwork. Portraits can bring out joy, power, and other moods. Portraits often show what a person looks like and also capture an idea of a person or what they stand for. He said he enjoys capturing the emotions of happiness as he creates his artwork.
“One of the themes I love the most is capturing emotions of happiness in people’s lives as I seek to remind people of the happy times and I wish to bring joy to people. Artwork lasts forever and it should therefore have a therapeutic and healing effect for the person who is viewing.
“I also like to capture emotions of authority and dominance in my artwork. I want a person to look at that piece and whenever they are thinking of giving up, gain confidence and have their hope revived by looking at their portrait. I want to help people believe in themselves and have self-confidence because of my artwork,” he said.
Maphosa said he desires to tour the world showcasing his artwork. He said he would love to inspire people as well as motivate youngsters who have skill in artwork to explore its beauty. It is also his desire for people to appreciate artwork and enjoy its therapeutic effect. He said there is also a need for art exhibitions to be decentralised so that people can be more exposed to art.
“At the moment, I’m using a pen to create my artwork. I use what is called cross-hatching. When I’m shading, I start by drawing with a pencil and then I create different shadows and areas using cross-hatching. Basically, I will be drawing lines using a pen. The way I hold the pen and the pressure I exert on the paper will determine how intense my shading will be.
“Art can be created using various tools, we just have to know how to use the resources that we have to bring out a good product. Creativity and having a great sense of imagination is also key in art. Resources permitting, I want to broaden my artwork so that I can incorporate more tools and provide variety to my clients,” he said. – @DubeMatutu
Online Reporter