Talented artist masters any craft that interests
A young artist has proved that with some business sense, determination and a great deal of practice, you can turn a hobby into a profitable job.
KOMATIPOORT – Zwelithini Zitha, who finished school only two years ago, works in construction during the day, but has become known in the Komatipoort area as a talented artist.
He started drawing in 2005 after a school project required him to sketch and he realised that he had a special gift. Other people started asking him for help with similar projects and he was encouraged to nurture this talent.
Zitha said he wanted to be a teacher after he graduated, but it didn’t work out due to financial restraints and he didn’t know what else to do.
He found a job in safety in the construction sector and decided to spread the word in the community that he could do art projects, on request.
“If you have a talent, you need to go around and show it to people. Don’t keep quiet,” he advised.
He started off doing pencil portraits of people and animals and sketched ships, landscapes, townscapes and anything else that caught his fancy. This is still one of his main focus areas and he tries to practise daily.
He visited Corridor Gazette with a file full of his amazing sketches and thoroughly impressed the journalist with his talent and technique.
From black-and-white and colour sketches, he moved to doing a variety of signs for stands, businesses and institutions, and has even designed a few logos and helped with house plans. He’d like to try his hand at painting, specifically with oil, and even carpentry but needs to raise funds for the right equipment.
He said at school he spent time improving his art instead of going out and hanging with friends and can now show the results.
“I try to do anything with art, from drawing to clay sculptures. Because I have talent, I have to change what is impossible to possible,” he said, smiling.
The artist is also an accomplished shoemaker, a craft he learnt from his father. “He made sandals and did shoe repairs for many years. I took over my father’s business and has been doing it for four years now.”
He has a special work area at home in Komatipoort, where he works on his projects and client requests after work and on weekends. He tends to work on a project until he can give the client a perfect product.
Although he is only working through word-of-mouth advertising by family, friends and former clients, he hopes to own his own studio and shop one day, where he can work full-time to create and sell his products.
Enquiries: Zitha on 071-362-5276.
