Lister reaps from canvas printing
After deciding to test the waters by switching to a different form of art, canvas printing, 30-year-old fine artist, Tshepho Lister who hails from Nlapkhwane is now reaping the rewards. Canvas printing is described as the result of an image printed onto canvas which is often stretched, or gallery-wrapped, onto a frame and displayed. Canvas prints are used as the final output in an art piece, or as a way to reproduce other forms of art.
Looking back on his decision to switch to canvas printing upon realising that printing on canvas on personalised portraits is becoming popular by demand due to its quality and permanency, Lister says it was the right one.
He says, just like many artists out there, Lister says he started drawing at a very young age and seeing that he has the passion and the love for art, he then decided to pursue it further. In order for him to create an amenity environment for himself, he went on to study painting and decoration at Selebi-Phikwe Technical College. Lister told Arts & Culture that he started in the industry just like everybody else. He started using pencil, charcoal, paintings and pen to produce his art pieces.
“I can literally do anything that deals with art and the very first piece that I got to sell when I started taking art seriously was a portrait pencil drawing back in 2020 and from there going forward I have been using anything to produce fine art pieces,” he said.
After taking art seriously in 2020, Lister said he got to realise that the art industry is congested and he had to look into how his art can be different from the other artists in the country. “In 2021 after a thorough research on how I can change the game, I discovered this other art method which was really welcomed by Batswana at large with open arms,” added Lister.
Furthermore Lister said ever since he ventured into canvas printing, he saw his follower’s numbers on Facebook increasing.
The increase of followers on his social media page resulted in the increase of his customer base and the blossoming of his business.
He stated that the change has been smooth without encountering significant challenges in his artistry work. Recalling on what has to be his best highlight ever since he started taking art seriously, he said it had to be when he is called upon to give motivational speeches to aspiring young visual artists.
He said he also gets fulfilled by seeing his artwork decorate the walls of the houses of Batswana as well as seeing them smile as an expression of their happiness and appreciation of his artwork. Lister went on to say his biggest desire as an artist is to become one of the biggest or the best artist to ever come out of this country and push more sales in order to penetrate the international market.
However, Lister said he sometimes finds the lack of resources in Maun, where he resides as something that could delay his growth. Though Lister currently focuses more on canvas printing, he says he can still do other forms of art on specific orders by customers.
“If a customer approaches me and they want something different from canvas printing, I can still be of great help to them because I still do drawings using pencil, pen, charcoal and even paintings so people should not desist from approaching me,” he said.