Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2.    The sky appears in your work as a source of divine comfort and presence. What does looking upward allow you to access emotionally that the ground or landscape cannot?

• ANSWER 2.     When I look at the Sky, I can let all my emotions take over without being judged by anyone, the sky gives me access to fully cry out to the Lord ( YAHWEH, ADONAI) in tears and ask him to give me strength, comfort and love. And in return after crying my lungs out I feel as though a warm blanket has been put around my shoulders. Whereas when you look at the ground/ landscape you know that it's here today and gone tomorrow so it's constantly changing meaning that you can't put your emotions on something that constantly changes... but the Sky will always be there, in Winter it's there, in summer it's there.

Thembi " SKY " Khumalo
Mixed-Media Artist

MEDIUM:    acrylic & oil paints and oil pastels on Fabriano

BIO:    Sky Khumolo is on ortist based within Jonannesburg, South Africa. She is interested in the indigenous knowledge of the African people. and most importantly the African landscapes. Found in South Africa, Khumalo's new body of artworks ore greatly influenced by her late mother who lost her life to Cancer on the 17th of Januory 2024 at 13:42pm. Through this life changing experience she found comfort in the Sky above, the noture around her and most importantly knowing that God will always be there in the good times and bad times. And that he will give you strength to overcome anything Eg a person con be described as a tree in this journey we call life and as a tree you experience different seasons in your life, one moment it's Summer and everything is great the next it's Winter and everything is Cold and you don't want to do onything

Khumalo received her National Diploma within the Voal university of Technology. Vanderbil 2018. She was involved in many exhibitions including some in South Africa and recently one in Seoul Korea. She was blessed enough to assist in recreating a wax sculpture of the late Steve Biko that is currently on display within the SAPS Museum in Pretoria

LINK:    @Sky_mixedmediaart

QUESTION 3.    Mixed media allows for layering, erasure, and rebuilding. How closely does that physical process mirror the way healing has unfolded for you over time?

• ANSWER 3.     I used mixed media in order to show people how much it takes to rebuild yourself especially when a parent ( Mother) has passed away, the different paints (represents soft, calm emotions , when you start healing) whilst using the oil pastels represents ( the hard outward appearance we always show people when they ask, " how are you feeling after the passing / loss and we always reply: ohhh I'm fine whereas deep inside you are screaming I'm not okay, how can I possibly be okay ) 

  Secondly It takes time and patience to smile again... And that's how I was, I couldn't lift my paintbrush or even concentrate because all the emotions would come in all at once and I would just cry. I remember a time when I was sleeping and I remember calling out my mother and started crying in the dream and when I woke up my pillow was just wet because of my tears. 

  Sometimes you feel sad and that's where the redness of the sky comes out as if, your heart is bleeding with hurt and you just can't take it anymore. So the different mediums show the state that I was in when I was painting this piece ( It took 6 months to complete it)

QUESTION 1.    Your recent work transforms personal grief into visual metaphor, particularly through the image of trees and seasons. How did that symbolism emerge organically rather than feeling chosen in advance?

• ANSWER 1.    From a very young age I have always been drawn to nature (trees, water streams) it has always given me a sense of peace especially as an introvert and when my mother passed I was drawn to nature even more, it's a place that gave me comfort and warmth when I was at my weakness, the seasons aspect came into play when the Doctor told us to spend enough time with my Mother and that was in Autumn, my Mother died in Summer and that made me realize that Cancer comes in and attacks you for a short while and then you are gone the next minute... And this made me realize that a humans life can be compared to flowers or roses in winter you won't find any flowers but in Spring you see many flowers.... Meaning you are here now and gone tomorrow. "We are not different from Nature, because we are here today and gone tomorrow in a very short period of time"

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All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Thembi " SKY " Khumalo.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

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