‘Poor Hand Art’ is rich in passion and talent
27-year-old, Mpho Napo, from Mokopane says he never saw his hobby of making sculptures and statues as art, but rather as employment and a way of taking care of his family.
MOKOPANE – “Life has always been challenging and tough for me, I lost my parents at a very young and that made things even worse. After I completed my gr 12, I had no idea how life will unfold I had no money to further my studies. The only thing I knew how to do well was draw and this, I noticed, throughout my primary and high school. I never saw the bigger picture of becoming an artist,” he explained.
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Being at the mercy of poverty and now being a husband and father, Mpho says he saw an opportunity to use his talent and love for art to make a living of it after being asked to create portraits, sketches and statues by people in the community in exchange for a fee. In 2012, he turned his artwork into a business. “At first I was a bit reluctant and skeptical because I had little faith in myself and my skills, especially in making statues and sculptures. They were difficult to make and grasp at first, but now I am good at them. I loved the challenge and I still do as it allows me to grow as an artist and it also allows me to enhance my career. I am now able to feed my family with the little money that I make from the sculptures and statues as well as drawings,” he said.
Mpho says that all his attention goes into to his work as he says each and every piece of work he has made, has got a story to tell.
He socializes mainly with other established artists alike so that he can learn and get advise on how to make it in the art industry without loosing the ethics and morals of being an artist. “I still lack machinery and skills to be perfect at what I do, which is why I am looking to go and study towards a qualification in art so that I can continue to touch the community with my artwork and produce artwork that is relevant,” he said.
Mpho says he calls his artwork ‘Poor Hand Art’ because he uses his hands, skills and talent to put food on the table.
“I do wish to one day be at liberty of embracing my talent and skills,” he added.
