Portraitist aims to showcase his work at art galleries
SANDTON – Continuing as a portrait artist in a different environment came with its challenges but he managed to keep his head held high.
A self-taught portraitist continues to thrive as an artist. Sandton resident, Sunny Usoro, became a professional portrait artist at the age of 19.
He can paint anything he sees but his specialty is portraits, as they have an immediate market. He is originally from Nigeria and he relocated to South Africa in 2010 to pursue his dreams as an artist. His passion has always been to show people how beautiful they are through his drawings.”What inspires me to continue drawing is my love for meeting new people, the fact that I see the beauty in everyone and the financial profit as well, has taken care of me for 20 years,” said Usoro.
Continuing as a portrait artist in a different environment came with its challenges but he managed to keep his head held high.”While I was in Nigeria, I lived in my parent’s house which was not in the most cosmopolitan part of Nigeria and I can’t really compare with my experience here as business improved when I moved to Sandton. If I had done my business in a very cosmopolitan part of Nigeria as well, I might have gotten the results I got in Sandton,” added Usoro.
He clips hard paper on a drawing board and uses one 6B pencil to sketch a photo, he then uses a pencil brush to blend the shades, enhancing the different tones. With every career comes challenges that would make one want to quit but the passion and love for doing what you love to do keep you going. “There will always be so many voices of discouragement so just encourage yourself from within and be very optimistic and confident in your work. Commit to your market and, above all, commit your work to God and rely on him who is the giver of the gift,” concluded Usoro.
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