As he applies paint on his canvas, with every stroke of his brush he creates a beautiful piece that is eye-catching. This local artist, Doctor Khumalo, has produced amazing pieces that tell the most wonderful stories and he has done some remarkable portraits that cannot be missed every time he displays them here.
Born in a village called Sehlakwane, he said his passion of art started when he saw his grandmother making African mats.
“I was fascinated by how she would blend colours and how she would be able to design a mat with the late President Nelson Mandela’s face on it. It was interesting and I was inspired. I would use the cheap paint they gave us at school to draw a sketch for her, and she would try imitate that on her mat, and that is where my love for art started,” he explained.
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Khumalo said he sold his very first artwork to his former principal.
“This was around 2007. He saw my work and gave me R10 for it. This was a lot of money for me. This was something big to me because of my background and considering where I am from.”
Khumalo said his life changed when he did a painting for a big company. That was when he realised that he has made it in the industry.
“The CEO of that company loves soccer. I had to paint a picture of him wearing a soccer jersey and he had to appear as if he was playing soccer. After I sold that painting I thought I can make millions out of this. It was in 2018 and that was my big break,” he said. His dream is to go international, but before that he said he wants to make an impact in Mpumalanga.
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“There are doors that need to open. My dream is to establish a big studio in Mpumalanga so that I can help upcoming artist. I used to teach some young men that are homeless in Johannesburg. I did this because I love art and I used my own funds for this initiative,” Khumalo said.
“My painting titled ‘Brotherhood’ is one of my favourite artworks. I did that painting when I was in a dark place and I needed a shoulder to lean on and I could not find one. In the painting I sketched two men. One of them is me and the other is the brother I needed. The second favourite, is titled ‘Buka mina’. When I grew up there were many kids in our home. In the painting I drew multiple figures of me trying to get attention,” he said.
