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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
A BULAWAYO-based portrait artist, Kudakwashe Kuvawoga hopes to start working from the National Arts Gallery in Bulawayo when the arts sector reopens, hopefully soon, so as to physically interact with clients.

Hailing from one of the city’s oldest townships, Mpopoma, Kuvawoga has for the past years been operating online, mingling with clients there.

He said he now wants to become one of the best art crafters in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole by being more visible through securing a space at the Art Gallery of Bulawayo.

“I’ve been doing online marketing whereby a client sends his/her portrait then I draw and send it to them via online media platforms. It’s been very hard because I don’t get to meet the clients face to face and the money I’ll be getting is mobile money instead of hard cash.

“This makes it hard for me when buying the equipment to do my projects. For celebrities, I just draw and post them on social media, nothing more,” said Kuvawoga.

A drawing of Kevin Heart by KK

He said he started pursuing art at Sikhulile High School in 2014 when he was in Form 1.

“After completing my ‘O’ Level, I then enrolled at the Mzilikazi School of Art where I studied pottery and fine art for two years and graduated in 2019,” he said.

Since then, Kuvawoga who is able to draw a portrait in a day has managed to draw portraits of various big names in the arts industry including the likes of Sandra Ndebele, Kevin Hart and Enzo Ishall. He also drew the late President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.

Other than portraits, he said he uses scud and bottle lids to design vases, cups and other items. -@mthabisi_mthire.