Portrait captures kindness in Durban North
A member of the North Coast Artists, Smith has been painting for almost a decade.
IF a picture paints a thousand words, Durban North resident, Jenny Smith spoke volumes when she surprised Thulani Khanyile with a hand painted portrait as he faced a difficult time receiving treatment for a suspected tumour.
“He came to us and told us he had a suspected tumour and he might have to have treatment. While he has been going to a clinic for treatment and I decided to paint his portrait,” said Smith.
Khanyile who works as a Gardener at Smith’s Durban North guesthouse said the painting was a welcome surprise. “I like this painting, I like to see myself painted,” he said.
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Smith had long planned to paint a portrait of Khanyile after she completed similar paintings for the other staff members at the guesthouse.
“There are two ladies that help me in the house and a couple of years ago I did portraits for them. Thulani has been our gardener for many years and I had been feeling so bad that I hadn’t painted a portrait for him,” she said.
A member of the North Coast Artists, Smith has been painting for almost a decade. She spent three days working on her portrait of Khanyile.
“I have been doing art for about eight years. It’s quite late in life to take it up and I wish I had started years ago, but I will try and make up for lost time,” she said.
Through brush and paint, an artist can capture something more than a photo, she said.
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“You feel like you are capturing a little more of the person’s personality. There’s something extra that goes into it. You get quite emotional when you are doing a portrait because you are really seeing their features. It’s so personal and you get quite attached to the painting. I have to hold onto it for a little while before I can part with it. I feel that way with any painting I do, even landscapes. I think this is true for every artist,” she said.
Smith said she took a photo of Khanyile to work from, although she kept the painting a surprise.
“It’s a typical pose of him, with his cap slightly askew. It sort of captures an everyday picture of him and what he’s really like. He is such a gentle soul, a really lovely person,” she said.
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