Putting pencil to paper during lockdown

Writer: Elaine Davie.

One day not too far in the future, the proud citizens of our town will be saying, “You know, of course, that Siphosethu Ntetha grew up in Hermanus.” There is no doubt about it, this shy, 15-year-old pupil of Qhayiya Secondary School in Zwelihle has enough talent to make it big on the South African visual arts scene.

And Siphosethu has a particularly strong work ethic to go with it. Deciding not to waste a good crisis, he thought he’d try his hand at portraits during lockdown, and because he didn’t have access to paints, he resorted to a pencil and an A4 exercise book with blank pages.

Portraiture is one of the most difficult genres to master, because not only must the artist capture the likeness, but also the personality and mood of the subject. Nevertheless, he took to it as to the manner born and has produced the most astonishingly mature drawings, nuanced, expressive and textured.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 12)