Sigudla, who recently painted a picture of the American TV personality, Steve Harvey, said there are many young people in the province who need proper guidance to perfect their craft.

His Steve Harvey portrait was viewed and liked by over 50 000 people on Facebook.

“It is my dream to see young up-and-coming artists get proper guidance at an early stage so they can grow within the ranks and eventually become professionals,” he said. Having started painting at an early age, Sigudla said he had also lacked proper guidance, but because he loved this craft, he kept on practising until he had all the basics right.

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“When I started, there was no one to help me perfect my craft. I had to depend on myself and my friends, who kept on critiquing my work until I turned into a professional. This can be a very frustrating journey without guidance and financial support. This is one of the reasons I want to establish my own studio that will focus on training up-and-coming painters,” he said.

He made an appeal to government to consider supporting local artists so they can also grow just like their counterparts from other provinces. “In Gauteng and KwaZuluNatal, this craft is huge and is supported by government.

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I long for the day when our own provincial government will come to the party and fully support this industry. We have so much talent in this province that needs to be nurtured and mentored to blossom,” continued Sigudla. He argued that he had seen talented painters going to waste because of the lack of opportunities and support.