Dadani strives for excellence
Mpho Tlale | Friday June 20, 2014 18:37
Growing up in Monarch, Francistown, Dadani says that it is there where his love for art was born. The artist recently scooped second place at the Presidential Awards regional level at Thapong Visual Arts Centre in the Drawing Category. His winning piece is a drawing copied from a photograph of a woman holding her newborn baby.
Dadani says it was that “something’” about the photograph drew him to it and he felt he had to create his own version using pencil. Before working on the picture, he approached the owner of the photo, Angie Chuma, to get rights to use it and she agreed.
“I had never met Angie before and I just communicated with her through Facebook. I was happy when she granted me the permission. I am glad that my work really impressed people and blew even her away too,” he said.
Before winning the Thapong award, he said he had never won an art-related competition. “The win is the beginning for bigger things to come. I am certain my art will grow as will I as an artist,” he said.
The budding artist says he enjoys using the pencil because it is his speciality and he uses it to work on portraits.
“I love doing portraits and just making them come alive with my pencil. I appreciate how the work always comes out when all is complete,” he said.
Although he does not limit his artworks to portraits, Dadani says he does them best and always gets them right. Once in a while, he uses some colour to give his works a different feel but his belief is that works done with a pencil are usually able to strike a cord and evoke emotion as more than those with colour.
Dadani knows that art is his calling. He explains how he once stopped drawing, but he was compelled to reunite with his drawing pencils last year after some reflection.
Fortunately, his hiatus had no effect on his ability and he was able to draw again with ease.
The artist said he could not be happier with his decision to go back to his art because slowly but surely, he is getting better and things are looking up.