"I’m always fascinated by the vivid colors in nature and the emotions these beautiful pigments evoke, and I owe much to the grand artist of creation, the one who paints the blue sky, sunsets, day after day but never gets tired or runs out of paint."
I am a contemporary artist, illustrator, and self-taught graphic designer from Malawi. I was born on November 25, 1985. I started drawing in 1992 at the age of seven and excelled at pencil and crayon drawings. My mother, a crochet artist, was my first artistic inspiration when I was five years old. Every day, I'd watch her sketch wild flowers and birds on paper, which she'd later turn into a lovely piece of crotchet wall art. This was my initial foundation before I became more serious about art.
When my family moved to the Zomba district in 2001, I began taking free art lessons from Paul Sauchi, a well-versed local artist. He tremendously aided me in learning the basic fundamentals of art, such as color composition, value, shape, brushwork, and perspective, which I am very pleased of.
In 2007, I had the opportunity to enter a national art competition sponsored by the British Council-Malawi, and I was awarded a consolation prize. Mrs. Marin Grave, representing the European Union delegation in Malawi, presented it to me.
Though I didn't win the most desired first award, I was incredibly honored to be recognized as a fresh developing artist. This is a fantastic experience I'll never forget, and it was most likely the beginning of my artistic career.
In 2010, I held my first solo art exhibition, "Recollection of My Childhood," in Blantyre, which exhibited some of my earliest childhood artworks. Claude Monet and Innocent Wilinga, a well-known Malawian muralist, have influenced me greatly throughout my artistic career.
In most of my paintings, color is the central subject, and my preferred medium is acrylic, but currently I’m doing digital art. It’s incredible. It’s like having all your art materials at your fingertips.
I primarily use Artrage and Krita painting apps. These too remain my favorites since they help me achieve a traditional look in my digital artwork.
In the near future, I hope to return to my traditional acrylics, but if not, I will combine both mediums and move on.
2007 Consolation Prize winner in a British Council Malawi national art competition.