Norman succeeds in the face of adversity
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Sunday September 24, 2023 06:00
When he could not pursue his studies at tertiary education after failing to meet the government cut-off points for sponsorship, the talented artist did not despair. The Selebi-Phikwe-based visual artist told Arts & Culture that he realised that he had a deep-rooted talent for drawing during his primary school days but did not follow it through.
However, in 2020 after completing his Botswana General Certificate Examination (BGCSE) wherein he attained 31 points, things looked gloomy as he could not further his studies.
Facing adversity, Norman then decided to revisit his talent in order to eke a living. He immediately saw his passion for visual arts grow instantly. He stated that at the time, he developed an interest in painting as a way of trying out different media of art. “With a view to improving my work, I started studying the works of Wilson Ngoni.
The renowned artist’s works exhibit a magical blend of true emotions,” he added. He says he now focuses on realism art, where proportion is largely about the relationship of size between elements. As a result, the young artist says he always uses the correct proportions in his work, making his images look more realistic and appealing. Realism is defined as a style of art that originated in the mid-19th century. It was characterised by the representation of everyday life in a naturalistic manner.
However, the term is also frequently used to refer to artworks that are almost photographic-like in appearance. Norman said he has a catalogue of amazing artworks and was not always easy to choose the one he likes the most. However, he said a portrait of American actor, Denzel Washington, which he drew using charcoal and graphite pencils, is the one he holds dear to his heart.
“This art piece was my first. I managed to bring out the details of the picture and it was more realistic than the 30 artworks that I have created before,” he said. He shared that one of his challenges includes time, lack of market and high competition.