Talented artist, Regis Manja enjoys sharing his skills

HIGHVELD – Mr Regis Manja believes he was born talented and credits his parents for helping him develop his artistic skill even further.

“I was born in Zimbabwe and began expressing myself through art when I was six years old, and my parents soon realised I had talent.

“I had art as a subject in school and one of the first pieces I made, was a clay sculpture depicting the face of one of my dear friends who had died.”

Though his father wanted Mr Manja to follow in his own footsteps and become a farmer, he soon realised his son’s true passion was to be an artist.

Mr Manja and his parents agreed he would go to an art school in Zimbabwe after completing high school.

“My father hoped I would go to an agricultural college, but in the end I completed a national diploma in visual arts, which means I qualified in painting, sketching, sculpture and art history.”

Based on the political instability in his home country, Mr Manja made the difficult decision to come to South Africa in 2012.

“It became difficult to make a living through art and though my parents still live in Zimbabwe, I relocated to South Africa nearly five years ago and began to make a name for myself through commissions and original artwork.”

Though he had to leave Zimbabwe to pursue his art career, he is adamant that art is more than just a way to make a living and he draws inspiration from his home country as well as his everyday surroundings, crediting his joint heritage for his unique style.

“It is so much more than just a job for me, as a writer uses his words or a musician his music to express himself, I use my paint, my clay and my paper.

“I have been blessed with an exciting life thus far and am thankful for all my experiences. ”

Mr Manja draws inspiration from the world around him and sees the beauty in the everyday things.

“When I go to informal markets or taxi ranks, I try to take in all the colours and lines and scenarios, so that I have a treasure trove of images in my head when I begin to paint.”

He sees art as a powerful tool and hopes to inspire others to use it to communicate, to inform and to motivate.

Mr Manja also believes in sharing his talent and of giving back to the community.

He teaches art classes at a local private school.

“When I was young, local artists gladly shared their skills and helped me to develop my talent, they were never shy to share their knowledge and I hope to have a similar influence on young artists.

“I also teach young, less fortunate artists free of charge.

“When I find a child or young person with a talent, I always try to inspire and motivate them and to share as much of my own knowledge as possible.

“It is what I have to give back.

“My parents still tell me that they are proud of me and my hope is that all artistic children will be understood and supported by their parents.

“Let your children be who they want to be.”

Though Mr Manja’s main focus is to create original works of art, he also prides himself in his ability to recreate and work with clients to give them exactly what they want, and he enjoys helping them create the right art for their homes.

“I can work in many different styles and I also enjoy doing large murals.”

Mr Manja was commissioned recently to do such a mural for a local business that will be opening its doors soon.

Contact Mr Manja on his Facebook page or at 071 733 9800.

For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Highvelder, Standerton Advertiser

For more news and interesting articles, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitterand Instagram