Following his passion in every way that he can, Fikile Maseko, Kingsmead College’s artist-in-residence has been creating watercolours of landscapes on campus for the last six months.
“I’m happy when I paint. I have enjoyed being at Kingsmead a lot, it’s easy to feel at home because the people at Kingsmead understand what I’m doing and give me courage,” he commented.
Hayley Schonborn Pienaar, director of marketing and The Kingsmead Book Fair said that Maseko has been painting beautiful watercolour landscapes of the school. She added that, although he does not believe in having a cellphone because of the risk of being robbed, he can be seen around the area and found at the college.
“It has been a pleasure for the Kingsmead community to have Fikile on campus. We intend to use his watercolours in our school magazine, as well as for gift cards,” she commented.
He has spent many years walking around the Westcliff/Parks area with his leather hat on and his leather bag, painting watercolours of the scenery, Zoo Lake and the Parkview shops, in particular. He has also been commissioned by community members to do paintings of their homes.
Maseko was born in 1962 and grew up in Fikile Dube Village, Soweto. He attended Holy Cross Primary School in Soweto, then moved to Tinana School in the Eastern Cape, however, he did not matriculate. While there, he lived with his paternal grandparents as his father was a driver.
Maseko explained that he enjoys what he does and the peace it brings. “Painting is relaxing and challenging. I enjoy playing around with colour. The hardest part is when people don’t understand art, or see the value of it,” he said.
In 1981, at the age of 19, he attended the Mofolo Art Centre in Soweto for three years. He also studied at the Johannesburg Art Foundation in Saxonwold in 1989. He looks up to and adores the works by sculptor Anton van Wouw, artists Irma Stern, Vladimir Tretchikoff and John Constable.
He still lives in the same house he grew up in, in Dube Village, and loves tending his garden. His name, Fikile means, arrives.
