Boogie ushers an art revolution

Thato Kala | Friday August 22, 2014 13:18

 

While digital art is an umbrella tag under which any kind of design falls, her art comes so close to sketching that a layman can easily mistake it for traditional art.

Perhaps the only distinguishing pointer would be the texture and quality when printed on paper.  “This is digital art, which is a wide variety of stuff. In my case it is classified as art in terms of drawing,” Kebualemang said.

With this type of art, she no longer needs traditional materials like paper, pencil as she draws on her computer.

“I am not doing it on paper, but on a machine. I select the paper type and size I want on my machine,” she explained.

After a month of doing this, she has concluded that the feeling behind it and the quality is slightly different from traditional art.

She already has several artworks done with the digital drawing tablet she received as a gift.

“You need to have this to do what I am doing,” she said, pointing to the device.

The flexibility of digital art is such that a drawing can be done with a digital pencil and combine it with another image.

That sticks out as one of the things that thrill the passionate artist about her newly discovered art form.

“The capabilities are limitless, it comes down to your creativity as an individual,” she said.

As she demonstrates how the device works, it is clear there are a few techniques that differ between the two types of art.

When one draws with a pencil, the eyes are on the tip of the pencil, but with the digital pencil her eyes are fixed on the computer screen while her hands do the drawing.

But will digital art ever replace traditional art in this part of the world?

Kebualemang believes that as much as digital art is catching up, the two will forever co-exist.

“I doubt it will replace it.  There is always going to be a market for traditional art. There are some parts of the world where digital art is huge, but in our part of the world it is not that popular as yet,” she said.

With many students studying abroad and in institutions like Limkokwing University, she believes digital art is fast emerging in Botswana.

Which of the two does she love the most?  She compares the choice to reading a book on a tablet and paging through a hard copy and said she cannot pick one as a favourite.

“I love digital art, but I enjoy both. You get different feels. I actually compare it to reading a book on your tablet or reading it on a traditional paperback,” Kebualemang, who is an avid reader, said.  Her joy is drawn from the fact that the two forms still allow her to express herself artistically in different ways.

“The feel is important. When working with paint I like feeling the paint, having some of it drip on me. In the end, you feel you have done it, but with digital art you are not left with any paint stains.  But it also has its own nice feel,” she said. Most artists in the country will draw baskets, rock paintings, the San people and various other objects. 

But a quick run through her work shows her strictly Christian art.

In one drawing, she sketched herself in a meditative posture, with a dove, a bird that represents the Spirit of God in the Christian faith, on her shoulder.

The image also has a lioness in her eye to illustrate that she is as bold as the creature as the scripture says.  She intently focuses on her eyes only.

A devout Christian, Kebualemang has also done another picture of a controversial Nigerian prophet and combines it with a bible in the background and hands praying on top of it.  The picture clearly sends the message “touch not the anointed of God”.

The other thing that is noticeable about her digital works is that the personal touch is visible. It has some element of originality.

“It does not limit what you can do,” she said.

She is working on putting together a collection she will display at the end of the year.

She revealed that securing funding for her business has proven difficult.

“I know government does not sponsor religious causes, they would rather sponsor baskets, but because my art is segmented with the target audience being Christians they will not fund,” she explained.

She will get to showcase some of her works at a women’s event organised by Belgium-based Andreattah Chuma later in the year. She sees that as an answer to her prayers to get a platform to launch herself.

But while she prepares for the exhibition, she would like to see school children introduced to digital art.

Her conviction is that it will give a different meaning to art.