Iuze Mukube
Kanyanga Paulus Simaho, a self-taught visual artist, is becoming popular in the creative industry for his distinctive art talent.
His journey is a testament of the rewards of hard work and perseverance.
Simaho (31) said his journey began at a very young age when he enjoyed making toys, using anything from his surroundings.
“Since I was five or six years old, I have always been interested in making and playing with toys made from clay, cars from wires, and even those made from mahangu and maize stalks. So,you can say I have always had a passion for the creation of arty things,” he said.
He said his artistic characteristic was more evident when he was in the art class at school, which became his favourite lesson.
When he relocated to Windhoek from his village Kaguni in Rundu, he got more involved in the creative industry.
“After my move to Windhoek at age 16 to look for work, I got inspired by another visual artist who was making a living out of art,” he said.
Furthermore, he met people who advised him to work hard to perfect his art every day.As such during the process, he started picking up other ways of using more mediums such as ink pen, wood burning, painting and making sculptures from recycling materials such as boxes and plastic bags.
Simaho describes himself as a mixed-medium artist, who explores different ways to make his paintings and sculptures.
“I explore different mediums such as graphite and charcoal pencils, ballpoint pens, oil and acrylic paints as well as Lino print. I make sculptures from boxes shaped into different structures, which I cover with melted plastic,” said the artist.
He said exploring different types of mediums makes it easy to create mixed-medium artworks.
“Sometimes, mixing charcoal pencils with colour pencils or ballpoint pens creates the best tonal values,” he said.
The artist enjoys using the pyrography (wood burning) technique to create cultural, historical and emotional artwork, where he uses hardboard retrieved from dumpsites or shops as a canvas. He also does murals (wall painting) and signs (word writing).
He said his artwork seeks to represent the historical, cultural and emotional aspects of everyday life.
It is realistic, beautiful, light to carry and unique due to the mixed media.
While he is living his dream, he said he would like to pursue studies in visual arts at the University of Namibia, and hopes to own a studio one day so he can teach other artists, and help sell their artworks.
He advised aspiring artists to be dedicated, work hard and be patient.
“Many people are making a living from art in the world. It is something that you can learn and become your own boss,” said Simaho.
His works can be followed on Facebook, Ticktock, and Instagram on @partipaulart
-mukubeiuze@gmail.com