Self-taught fine artist Fulufhelo Mawela from Divhani Village, Limpopo is a pencil, oil pastel, acrylic paint, and watercolor artist. Mawela, who has enjoyed drawing from a young age, is building his brand from scratch.

He is eager to make a name for himself in the industry and when he picks up a paper and pencil, eye-catching art is created.

The 22-year-old is currently studying Architecture Engineering at Mavhoi TVET Campus.

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He says all he does is imagine it and then create it, art comes naturally to him.

“I live and breathe art,” he said. “I make any type of drawing come to life with my expressionist background.”

“I developed his love for art while he was still eight years old. My peers used to encourage me to keep drawing because apparently, I was good at it.

“While in the middle of a lesson, I would find myself glued to my drawing of celebrities. My actions in the long run affected me because my marks started to drop. I then had to decide to take my school work seriously,” said Mawela.

FULUFHELO MAWELA LICES AND BREATHE ART

He said he was born an artist. “Art is an expression of feelings. Art speaks, which is why I would say people motivate me to keep on doing art because of how emotional they get whenever they see my art.”

“People usually tell me not to stop doing art, and it gives me the courage to keep on going,” he said.

He said that since he started doing art, he took it seriously when he was 17 years old, doing Grade 12. “People admired my work. That’s when I started to improve my skills through watching YouTube tutorials and lots of practice.”

“I also learned a lot from other artists I met on my drawing journey. After improving, that’s where I started to do commission drawings for people until now,” he explains.

He concludes by saying doing what he loves keeps on pushing no matter what obstacles he comes across and believing in himself is the only secret to greatness.

“Being an artist is what I believe in, it means a lot since it is where my heart and strength are. It is what I would live for. I love doing art, it’s my hobby and I am proud of that.

“My goal is to find myself being a well-known artist, owning my art gallery. Helping people who believe in themselves, because I know there are plenty of people out there who have the talents but don’t know where to start.”

Mawela also juggles as a barber as he tries to hustle for a living.