Eking a living through art
It is not necessarily the money that keeps him going but satisfaction he gets when he discovers new things.
It is this contentment that made Mzuzu-based Felix Mphande to abandon his teaching profession to explore new life in the world of arts.
“The world of arts is unlimited, interesting and full of discoveries. Every day, one learns new ways of doing things better,†he says.
Mphande makes wall clocks with different curves and paints biblical, village and lake sceneries.
“I also do a lot more things such as key holders, earrings and necklaces which I sell through Claim Bookshop and Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi,†he says.
His journey into the world of arts dates back to 1995 when he worked as a teacher at an orphan care and social rehabilitation centre in Lilongwe.
“When I was in Lilongwe, I met Chrisfold Chayela, a physically-challenged person, who used to paint different things using his mouth.
“I got interested in what he was doing and in no time, I found myself learning how to combine colours and paint something that people can appreciate,†he said.
His skills were sharpened further by another friend at the centre, Dr Teerhar, who liked fixing jigsaw puzzles.
“I liked the way he used to put together small pieces to form different shapes. This is how I learnt how to come up with funny curves and shapes of wall clocks, key holders and necklaces,†he said.
Although Mphande did accounting at Lilongwe Technical College, he says he finds more excitement in arts than figures.
“I love the art. It gives me excitement and satisfaction,†he says.
But the field is not without challenges.
He says some gallery operators want to buy their paintings for a song but sell them at high prices.
“They buy a painting at K3 000 [$10] and sell it at K30 000 [$30]. That is unfair,†says Mphande.
