Only natural talent and a prophecy were enough for Mokagane
ALEXANDRA – Taking the judges by surprise, he won R25 000 first prize by drawing a prophet.
The Mokopane-born and Alexandra-based artist Puleng Mokagane has been honing his drawing and painting skills for the past several years now.
The 33-year-old first recognised his innate talent for drawing when he was six years old. Speaking with Alex News, Mokagane stated that he was born with the talent of drawing and that he never needed to practise.
”It just came naturally to me as I grew up, and as I gained more experience my skills also improved,” said the former Skeen Primary School learner.
Last year he entered the ITweb Brainstorm Calendar Competition, where he had to draw artwork for one month on a calendar. Taking the judges by surprise, he won R25 000 first prize by drawing a prophet.
“Twelve artists from different backgrounds were assigned to represent 12 companies for each month of the year. I was assigned to represent Telkom company.
“The company gave me a brief to be as creative as I want on the project, so I thought of the prophet who told me one day I will succeed in art if I stay focused on it, which is how I came up with the prophet figure.”
According to him, his drawing ideas are influenced by the mood at that given moment and he also names his drawings according to that mood.
He titled his award-winning piece The Prophet of the Masai Tribe, which depicts an African woman wearing a crown with feathers and earrings.
To add to the artistic quality of the prophet, he strategically applied ‘Telkom blue’ to the lips of the prophet.
In his amazing art, Mokagane uses various materials such as artistic pencils, polychromos colour pencils, charcoal, and oil paints.
Although he did not need anyone to help improve his skills during his childhood, Mokagane sought out inspiration from the late Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso, as well as the South African surrealist artist Jono Dry.
“I use my artwork as a way to express myself and my character, I am a very quiet person but my pieces are bold and often communicate a story in just a glance,” he concluded.
