Try Phoku (23) is a self-taught visual artist and portrait master from Bronkhorstspruit’s Rethabiseng. He was born and bred in Rethabiseng, where he shares a house with his parents and five siblings.
He finds pleasure in capturing remarkable moments with pencil on paper, but it took practice and experience to get where he is today.
Phoku fell in love with the art of drawing from a young age, picking up art equipment at the age of 12, before forging an everlasting relationship with paper and a pencil.
Since that day, he has never lost interest but has rather grown to love it more.
“I’ve spent each day growing my passion, progressing at a steady pace until I morphed myself into a visual artist.”
He is still learning other skills and developing himself in other forms of creativity by exploring different mediums and techniques and experimenting with charcoal and pastels.
“My journey has been filled with many ups and downs, with a lot of discrimination and a lot of people who didn’t believe in my art. How much they underestimated me,” said Phoku.
For Phoku, human nature plays a huge role in his approach towards art, being inspired by life around him. His talent led him to work with the winners of the Mr & Miss Tshwane Regions pageant and celebrities such as Tyler ICU.
Phoku featured on national TV on programmes such as Daily Thetha and Kwantu Tunes on Mpuma kapa TV (DSTV).
“I specialise in creating visually stimulating images that connect with the soul to evoke powerful emotional expressions from people and have the potential to be admired for hundreds of years in the future.
“I enjoy creating a variety of portraits with different shading styles depending on the client’s preference. I like creating face portraits with pencil on white paper.”
“I believe each portrait reflects the unique personality and character of the subject, and enjoy working with the client to create a piece that is special and meaningful,” said Phoku.
He moved to Pretoria to study Performing Arts at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) from 2020 to 2023.
Phoku will do his Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) online this year.
He sells portraits to make a living.
“I sell my creativity to take care of my one-year-old daughter, Oratile Phoku and pay some of my fees.”
He is focused and passionate about his art and has always been driven by his passion for sharing his work with others.
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“I love the way art can be used to connect with others. When people view my art, they may experience different emotions.
“I also love the process of creating art. It teaches me to be patient and trust the process,” said Phoku.
His advice to new and upcoming artists is to find yourself and your style, and never be afraid to experiment and take risks.
Surround yourself with supportive and like-minded people and always keep learning and growing as an artist. It is also important to remember to enjoy the process and not just focus on the result.
“I would tell any young person starting their career in the arts to follow their passion and never give up.
“It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to make a career in the arts, but it can be very rewarding.”
