OMBA GALLERY: Sand to Hardboard...WITLOCK KAMATOTO

There are those who believe that some people are ‘born’ with the ability and spatial intelligence to draw and paint well, while others are not.

Twenty-nine year-old, Witlock Kamatoto is currently exhibiting a series of sample works at Omba Gallery until the 12^th of April 2014, and once he paints the story of his colourful background, the aforementioned belief instantly leaps to mind.

Kamatoto, a husband and father born and bred in Otjiwarongo, central-northern Namibia, disclosed that as a toddler and young boy, when out looking, his parents frequently found him drawing and scribbling in the sand with a small, dusty finger. In adolescence, at school especially, his ability to draw well was recognised and identified by a teacher, who encouraged him to continue drawing until he was considered the best artist at school. He never thought of what he does as ‘art’ and still does not; to him, the ability to draw and paint well are like any other skills which form the basis of a chosen career.

Kamatoto later attended the Otjiwarongo Arts & Performance Centre, as a student of the visual arts. He studied drawing and painting under Martin Scott and graduated in 2011. Kamatoto now specialises in oil painting on hardboard, depicting Namibian landscapes, wildlife, portraits and is exceptionally good at murals.

Kamatoto is, for the moment, an artist for commission work and has an impressive list of satisfied Namibian clients in his portfolio, including private farms and tourist lodges. His keen eye, deft hand, innate feeling for balance and proportion, combined with an almost effortless ability to recreate what he observes in realistic style, sans stylisation, makes him a valuable Namibian asset, especially for commissioned public works of art.

Omba Gallery will host Witlock Kamatoto’s exhibition from the 25^th of March until the 12^th of April, 2014.

For more information:

Contact: Shareen Thude;

Venue: Omba Gallery;

Number: (061) 242 222.

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