POLOKWANE – Looking at the work done by local artist Godfrey Kennedy, one could easily be forgiven for thinking he has been trained at some of the best schools in the world when, in fact, he has had no formal schooling in art.
His passion for art stems from a deep and profound love for the people and cultures of South Africa.
Kennedy started drawing before the age of 10 and has since changed his medium to oil painting.
“I used to walk the streets of Gauteng trying to sell my work and once approached a picture framing company, asking them to frame one of my artworks. They declined, but I was later approached by someone who bought my work and gave me the opportunity to hold exhibitions, ” he says.
He now works for an electrical company and earns an income to provide for his fiancée and two children.
“I would like to do my art full-time but do not have the market yet. Art is the one thing that I can use to express my intense love for nature and people and I would love to share this with the world.”
He loves painting nature scenes with lions and crocodiles feasting on their prey, but most of all he loves painting cultural paintings that depict people going about their everyday business, like collecting water.
“I love culture and think through my paintings I can tell their stories. In most of my animal or nature pictures I portray the power and viciousness of animals like lions because that is nature in its purest form,” Kennedy says.
He likes to do electrical jobs and is also part of a group of young men who try and uplift and make life better for the Westenburg community.
Kennedy has portrayed his art on several buildings in Westenburg where he painted locals like MEC for Social Development, Joyce Mashamba, as well as world renowned people like Nelson Mandela.
He paints on a variety of canvasses that include walls and animal hides. “Give me a photo and I will give you a painting. I can only thank God and my friends and family for their support, ” he says.
Social Development Spokesperson, Adéle van der Linde, said she saw the painting and, as someone that has been working closely with the MEC, was amazed to see that someone who has never met her can capture her perfectly on a piece of animal skin.
“This man is truly talented,” she said.
