From clay to charcoal: Eric Khoza’s artistic journey inspires
Eric Khoza, a talented young artist, is turning his passion for drawing and painting into inspiration for his community and dreams of national recognition.
Eric Khoza, a visual artist who works with charcoal, graphite, paint and ink, aims to inspire his community through his passion for art.
Eric, who matriculated last year, has been creating and selling his artwork and has even had the opportunity to personally present his drawings to celebrities, including Zuma Umshini, Shebeshxt, DJ Gogo Skhotheni, MKeyz, Babalwa M, Bandros, Thatohatsi and Tracy Vocals at various events.
“I genuinely hope one day I can promote my artworks to an extent whereby I am noticed by major art galleries and host art exhibitions, as much as I dream I aim to manifest my goals, meaning working with what I have and also be grateful for what I have at this point and time,” Eric said.
He got his first taste in the arts at a young age when he saw his late uncle design the interior of homes and sell them in towns, as well as his brother, who was a huge comic book fan and created art as a hobby.
“My uncle was a self-taught architect, and my older brother played a significant role in encouraging me to pursue art. I spent hours watching his brother draw characters from comic books and magazines, mostly animated figures, before he eventually stopped to focus on his academics,” he said.
From there, Eric started crafting his own work, and his love for art grew bigger.
He added that in primary school, his Grade Three teacher introduced him to clay art. From there, he began creating anything he could imagine, including cars, animals, and human figures.
“Growing up, we used to create cars made of recycled materials, and in 2018, that’s when I was taught the elements of art, such as charcoal, blending techniques and other styles, in particular. I am also inspired by other artists in my neighbourhood, such as Thapelo Gift Mokate, The Duela and Kwabacha The Tattooer and growing up, I used to make portraits of my friends,” Eric added.
For him, his biggest inspiration and idol is the late Spanish painter Salvador Dali (1904 to 1989).
“My personal favourite artwork from him is The Temptation of St Anthony, as well as The Persistence of Memory, among others are inspired by his surrealist work of art,” Eric concluded.
