Leather Artwork by George Mgona
Born in Malawi in 1964, George grew up in the countryside where there was very little exposure to the art world. During his idyllic childhood in the mountainous areas that is part of the Shire Highlands, George became acquainted with a vast array of wildlife from a young age.
When George left the countryside and moved to Blantyre he met with a street artist who sold him a picture of roses and from that point his interest in art was kindled.
George started teaching himself art using cheap material and things that he could find. He started practicing using tints and painting onto self -stretched clothing material. He resigned from factory work in 1990 and vowed to take art as a full time career and passion. As George’s skills have progressed he has changed to watercolours and then oils which is now his immediate medium.
Leather Artwork by Belinda Marshall
Painting has become my life’s work, the beauty and variety of the African animals are an inspiration and the moods and seasons of the African bush a never-ending cycle of life and harmony..
My favourite animals are the cat family – particularly the leopard – the beauty in the form of the cats, their facial expressions and lithe movements make every drawing or painting a pleasure to do. The Zebras and their stripes are another favourite, with every zebra having an individual pattern that is intriguing. I try impart my love of the animals and their mannerisms to the viewer and hope that my paintings evoke a feeling of the african bush and all that the dust, wind, rain and wild animals embodies in the package that is Africa.
My favourite mediums are chalk pastels, graphite pencil and coloured crayons/watercolour crayons of which all are a drawing technique rather than painting. A lot of my time is spent on oil paintings, mainly as most of my commissions are paintings on leather. I have had commissions from America, Germany, Russia and Spain as well as having paintings in Private Collections as far afield as the UK, Australia, Croatia, South Africa and Botswana.
As well as African wildlife art, I also do portraiture work and have painted Masai Warriors (Kenya), Himba (Namibia) and Ndebele (Zimbabwe) adorned in their jewelry and hunting regalia. These too are interesting and a joy to do, as the different African tribes have their own facial distinctions and colour tones as well as differences in traditional dress and jewelry.
Visit Belinda’s website: http://www.belindamarshallart.com
Leather Artwork by Jannice Everitt
Born in Zimbabwe, she has a natural affinity to the bush and wildlife, fostered by Jannice’s father with weekend bush walks at a young age. She started painting when at Teachers Training College, drawing and etching being her main field. Her interest in art was revived much later, once her children left home. She joined a painting group in Masvingo, participating in workshops held by well-known artists.
She uses wildlife photos from regular trips to national parks as a reference for her wildlife and landscape paintings, but has a wide subject variety. She enjoys experimenting with various techniques and media, with her mainstay being oils, watercolour and mono prints.
She paints on leather on commission for TCI , the Big 5 being the predominant subject.
Her works have sold locally and internationally.
