It runs in the family

Gasebalwe Seretse
Correspondent | Thursday July 16, 2009 00:00

'My grandfather was my role model. I admired his skills in carving as he produced well-decorated utensils such as bowls, spoons, pestles, stools and yokes. My grandfather also made some exquisitely patterned pots and baskets and I believe these two inspired me a lot as I am also into carving and pottery that encompasses a lot of decoration,' says the 35-year-old artist, who grew up in Moroka village.

Sechaba fondly remembers growing up in the village where, like every Motswana boy, he enjoyed looking after cattle and goats, ploughing with oxen, riding donkeys, fetching water on donkey-carts, collecting firewood on sledges, hunting small animals with dogs and catching birds with traps.

'My childhood experiences are an inspiration on my works of art. I enjoyed and cherished this lifestyle a lot and I create works of art on what I understand better, which is my background and daily village life.'

As if the Moroka environment was not enough to bring out the artist in him, when he joined his father Richard Sechaba in Gaborone city, he realised that he was also an artist as he found his (Richard's) artworks hanging in the sitting room.

The young Sechaba took to painting like a duck takes to water and soon he was emulating his painter father.

'My father had a range of art media and materials including pencils, inks, brushes and water-colour paints and he allowed me to use them anytime and I guess with that art environment, I was able to venture into this field.'

Sechaba started doing art formally at Kgari Sechele Senior Secondary School in Molepolole where he met a certain Jones whom he considers a great teacher. The artist says that Jones taught him the 'secrets of drawing, colour, mixing and application'. He further says that the technique that he uses is not far behind Jones.

After finishing his Form Five, Sechaba went to Molepolole College of Education (MCE) between 1996 and 1998 where he majored in art. Between 2004 and 2005, he went to do Bachelor of Education and Visual Arts at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

The artist says that his art developed over the years due to experiences acquired through exhibitions, workshops, schools and interaction with other artists. He has covered most genres of the visual arts including drawing, printmaking, painting and pottery.

'My paintings range from realism, abstract to impressionism in an impasto manner because I like the texture it (impasto) creates. This texture to me indicates the richness of the subject matter I dwell on.

'My pottery work is contemporary, created in the forms of flowers or an object found in our natural environment, traditional musical instruments and so on and these are either engraved or moulded. These are decorated by burnishing and glazing with oxides. My camera is a very important research tool, I carry it around to document activities related to my subject matter, and this helps in the formulation of my works,' the versatile artist says.

Sechaba further says his works record events for the benefit of future generations. He adds that this is a form of preserving this information in an art form and that his paintings and ceramic wares are in brown, which is the colour of the earth, and a symbol of richness of Botswana's culture and environment.

The artist, who is currently lecturing at his former school (MCE) has participated in a number of workshops and exhibitions in and outside the country including Heritage Day at the National Museum, Stamp Design at Game City, Gaborone and Thapong Artists of the Year. Last year, he became the first runner-up to Neo Matome in the Thapong Artist of the Year awards.

Asked what he is currently doing, the artist says: 'At the moment,  I am working on an oil painting of 2.5 metres by 1.65 metres depicting borankana dancers, which has taken a while now due to some other commitments but I am itching to complete it and put my signature on it.'

Sechaba further says that he draws inspiration from Rembrandt van Rein, the renowned Dutch painter.