Driven by both desire and necessity, when Gomolemo Kgosimodimo graduated from AFDA College with a Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture Medium, she turned her back on her qualification, following her heart in order to put food in her stomach.
The 33-year-old artist has magic in the tips of her fingers, pencils and paintbrushes becoming wands in her hands when she expertly gets to work.
Life-like portraits and colourful wall paintings are Kgosimodimo’s specialty, with her pieces even attracting the attention of one of the country’s most famous lawyer, Uyapo Ndadi.
It is a talent the Molepolole native has been living off for the best part of six years, when she set up Gomolemo Kgosimodimo Arts.
“I currently make portraits and wall paintings for a living because it is a talent that I have long discovered and the work is exciting. I have a tertiary degree but venturing into fulltime painting is a decision I made after graduating as I had to put food on the table; with the challenge of unemployment I believed that my talent could come in handy and it worked out as I imagined,” explains Kgosimodimo, speaking exclusively to Voice Money this week.
The Gaborone-based painter, who works primarily from her Phakalane home, produces a range of artwork, including portraits, drawings and murals.
With art often viewed as a costly luxury, out of the financial reach of the masses, who tend to focus more on pap than portraits, Kgosimodimo makes sure she caters for both lawyer and layman. Her drawings go for anywhere between P450 to P3, 000, while wall paintings start from as little as P1, 400.
The multi-talented creative, who is also a sought-after dancer, finds inspiration from numerous sources.
“What I paint is basically events that happen around us and how we react to them as different people. Experiences I have encountered, which some of them I can’t say out loud, so the brush helps me express myself better. Our culture is diverse too so I always ensure I put an element of our culture into my work. This way people can know about our country even if they have never been to it only because they have seen a picture on the Internet.”
Although Kgosimodimo has completed and sold several impressive works of art, there are two pieces she is particularly proud of.
“The portrait of Mr Ndadi and his daughter which I did just to advertise my work stand out because he ended up contacting me and purchased it. The other significant experience was when I was commissioned to do a mural at my former school, AFDA Botswana,” she recalls with a cheery smile.
Just like almost every other entertainment-based entity, Gomolemo Kgosimodimo Arts has not escaped the clutches of Covid-19.
However, Kgosimodimo and her business have survived the storm, with the artist working tirelessly to market her craft on social media while also regularly handing out flyers.
“My clients are basically art enthusiasts. Now that I have extended my services to wall paintings, which few artists do, my clients also include beer gardens, lodges and individuals in general,” she concludes, her heart and stomach both content, the future burning bright with possibility.