It was in Butterworth, 19th March 1987 were the remarkable being was born. From a young age he had a great interest in art. Constantly sketching, doodling and painting.
As he grew up, his interest eventually became his passion. This is pretty much what he does, his an artist in the full sense of the word. Loyiso then went on to achieve his diploma in graphic design on the year of 2009 and nowcurrently work at Strike entertainment as an illustrator for the Supa Strikas comic that comes with the Sunday Times newspaper every month.
When his not illustrating comics, he paints. "I generally paint with oil painton canvass. My subjects are generally of African origin depicting different aspects evident in this rich continent"
He focuses on the emotion, emphasizing brush strokes on skin texture and the eyes. This really brings out the spirit of the subjects. Its not about achieving perfection in technique, but evoking a certain emotion when the viewer meets the artwork.The subjects he portrays embody a message of selfawareness, acknowledgment, strength, presence and even hope, in a society predominantly dumbed down not to notice the human condition.
We are more colourful with our diversities. This is what the children of tomorrow should know. "This art is what he leave them with"
How does your personal experiences influence your art
Loyiso:Personal experiences are all you’re equipped with when you go into art. Because art in its truest form is all about self expression, you cant help but invest your personal experience, opinion and views on whatever your working on. They help shape my direction and perhaps the purpose of my art.
How have people responded to your work.
What drives you to create such amazing art.
Loyiso: I got this unwavering yearning to do something great. It sounds corny I know but I really intend on doing something special with this talent. Something that will be remembered. I live in a country that with huge issues facing real people every day. Stories need to be told. Realities need to be faced. And people need to be empowered. If my art does that in some way then I’m doing something right.
What's your take on South African graphic designers.
Loyiso: There is a great presence of design in south Africa. Lots of inventive ideas popping up and being realized. I personally would love to see us define our own aesthetic/ visual language. Something that clearly resembles afican culture and influence. By this I don’t just mean style. I mean approach to design as a whole. It’s a tough task to follow given that a lot that we know is of western influence. Its necessary though as we continue to define ourselves to take such leaps.
Any dream clients?
Loyiso: I have some in mind. And I plan to worth with each and every one of them. We have some great individuals in this country who must me celebrated for the work they have done. Forgive me for not mentioning any names. Don’t want to jinx it.
What does creativity mean to you
Loyiso: Creativity to me is “a given”. Hotwired to our minds is the capacity to create. It’s a natural limb that we all enjoy in order to better our lives, our environment, community. its not exclusive to anyone but rather a trait we all have and potentially could use.
Future plans?
Loyiso: I have a couple of projects that I still want to see happen so theres a lot of plans. More generally tho I just want to keep working, bettering myself through my craft. Trying new things constantly. I’m also hoping to travel the continent as a project to create a master body of work reflecting on people of Africa. Getting involved more in community building initiatives is something I hope to continue doing. The list goes on. And for every goal reached another is set.
Are there any musicians who bring out your creativity.
Loyiso: wow there are plenty man. I listen to music when I paint. Usually the type of music I listen to depends on the work I’m doing. I,m currently listening heavily to classical music because it gives me great mental visuals for the piece I’m busy with. If I were to single out musicians tho: Tumi, Simphiwe Dana, Thandiswa Mazwai, Letta Mbulu, Hugh Masekele Fela Kuti, Saul Williams, Tupac Shakur, so many to actually mention. When it comes to music I always open myself up to whatever just touches my inner compass. Its always about the content and the message being shared in the music.
What type of environments do you prefer working in.
Loyiso: I work in a small room in my flat. I don’t work anywhere else. There I can be crazy, emotional, angry etc. Its just a great space for now to project without any exterior factors to worry about.
What other jobs have you done.
Loyiso: I have done comic strips, I have done websites, website banners, concept art, and designed logos. It definately was a hustle to get here.
How did get you to be part of knights whisky advert.
Loyiso: Literally by chance. A friend of mine who is a massive fan of my work was looking through my art online and her boss just happened to see the work . This after their company had just landed a deal with Knights to run a campaign of “authentic South Africans” doing well in their given. He figured I was perfect as one of the authentics for the campaign. The rest was history from there.
What is success to you.
Loyiso: Its serving and fulfilling your purpose. Concurring the obstacles that surely will come with a defiance to failure (because you believe in your dream that much) .Success to me is a very elusive state where you have done your life’s work and left a significant mark on the world. I aspire to that.
According to your own opinion, what would you say is missing with the media industry.
Loyiso: an African face. We live a mainly American inspired lifestyle. This is due to the perception perpetuated by some media platforms that we should aspire to a foreign standard. This is problematic because we’re forgetting who we are and what we have. This place is so rich and powerful certainly capable of defining its own standards across the board(fashion, advertising, design etc.)
Are there any other artist you are working with at the moment.
Loyiso: No collaborations yet but I’m yet to get there. First my main focus is to get my name and my work recognized and established.
Do see yourself moving living anywhere else apart from Cape town.
Loyiso: Definitely. This all will depend on where my career takes me. I also want to travel to different places in Africa and around the world so dropping a permanent anchor isn’t in the cards for me.
What would you say is your core message to the world through your art.
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Solomon Molefe | Awareness
