Pencil artist believes in natural talent

MariaChiguvari

PENCIL artist, Tapiwanashe Chikoto, says he may not have the resources, but talent and passion push him.

The 20-year-old believes positivity can be fostered easily through art. He, however, lamented the fact that his talent had gone unnoticed because he stays in the rural areas .He is making strides in building a career out of his passion as a pencil artist.

Tapiwanashe, mostly focuses on realism drawing as he draws inspiration from Shanfield Moyoand his brother, Taurai Chikoto.

“Living in rural areas affects my work negatively because most of the people don’t see art as something important or a gift as they believe in farming so there is a lot of discouragement and no exposure.

“Living in rural areas has caused me to miss out on some opportunities that come.

“I have limited access to social media where I can market my works because of poor network connections thereby losing and missing some online exhibitions and competitions,” he said. He said he starts his day with prayer. “I like to start with the eyes because they are the window to the soul,” he said.

“I always say a prayer that the Lord opens my eyes for me to see what there is to see and opens my heart to feel the rest. My biggest influences are my brother, Taurai Chikoto, who does art with various mediums, and Shanfield Moyo, who is a pencil artist and his works are very realistic.

“I develop my art skills by experimenting with new things every time I draw.”

The pencils he uses are called Charcoal pencil.

“My favourite medium is Charcoal pencil. I was inspired by producing a true replica of human faces and wild animals. My favourite time to create is from 11am – 6pm,” he said.

“I’m motivated by how my works look after finishing drawing. As an artist, success is having good materials and equipment like pencils, paints, drawing easels and a studio. I want my art to have a wide market and to be known internationally.

“Yes, art is helping me a lot. I’m getting money and meeting great people. For example, I managed to win a gender-based violence competition and that was when I got to be interviewed on Hevoi FM radio in Masvingo,” he said.