A Plumstead painter, who recently beautified the suburb’s library with an exhibition of her work, will be running an art workshop for children.
Tanya Ngandu, a 22-year-old Ruth Prowse School of Art graduate says she knows first-hand the power of art in self-development, as she was once a shy, small-town girl who couldn’t speak English well but found her self-confidence through experimenting in art.
At the age of 6, she left Plumtree in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, where she lived with her granny, to come to Cape Town, where her mother was studying towards her PhD in HIV computational biology at UCT.
“She rushed to have me come live with her due to the fast-failing economy. Things were getting bad at that time in Zim. When I arrived in Cape Town, I only spoke Ndebele, and when I started school, I ended up just drawing in class for the first few months. My teacher noticed I was good at colouring there. I eventually learned English but throughout primary school, I always enjoyed art,” Ms Ngandu said.
Art was not offered as a subject at her primary school, but her Grade 7 teacher was very supportive of her talents and encouraged her mom to send her for lessons at the Peter Clarke Art Centre. At Wynberg Girl’s High School, Ms Ngandu joined the art society and eventually became the head of the art committee in matric. But it was at Ruth Prowse that she really came into her own as an artist.
“They focused a lot on identity and understanding who we are as individuals and our place in the world. And I guess that really helped identify who I am as an artist and exactly what my strengths are.”
Lynette Bester, the head of fine art at the Ruth Prowse School of Art, says that in spite of being a very shy and quiet student, Ms Ngandu shone when given a pencil or paints with her meticulous attention to detail.
“Tanya’s ability to create photo-real pencil drawings and paintings was noteworthy and went from strength to strength over her three years as a student at the Ruth Prowse School of Art. She was also able to juxtapose abstraction and her photo-real ability in innovative ways. Her final body of work was particularly eye-catching using a personalised marbling effect, juxtaposed with photo-real elements and ply wood details cut using the laser cutter to achieve crisp edges and giving her work a contemporary twist,” Ms Bester said.
Since graduating in February last year, Ms Ngandu says she has mostly been doing portrait commissions for clients, and she plans to study art therapy to focus on working with children and people with physical and mental disabilities.
“I like doing art with kids. It’s something I’ve always done casually with children I know. I have ideas for Easter that should be fun.”
Her art workshop will be held on Tuesday April 4, at 10 am. To book a spot, call Plumstead library at 021 8141231.
