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Sketchbooktrails is the art initiative of the young, female artist Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi]. All paintings under the gallery tab of the Sketchbooktrails website have been done by Taf since her painting career began in 2001. The grisaille paintings are one of the artist Taf’s current explorations, as well as the visual experiences along roads in Southern Africa and the human form. To view art works, please click here. For all enquiries and pricing please click here.

Facing a Century is a collection of 100 portraits by Taf of real people. It is a celebration of 100 moments of life being lived, capturing people from all walks of life, and emphasizing our shared humanity. Mark Shuttleworth (the first African in space and groundbreaking entrepreneur), Raymond Ackerman (the South African Pioneer of Hypermarkets and the man behind Pick n Pay), Lovely Letsoalo (entrepreneur and pharmacist), Vuyani Bekwa (co-fund manager of South Africa's top-performing unit trust, the Investec Property Equity Fund), Angela Dick (co-founder and CEO of Transman), Justin Stanford (co-founder and CEO of 4D Innovations Group) Ben Nyaumwe, founder and Managing Director of Auspex Property (Pty) Ltd, and Allan Gray Orbis Foundation's Class of 2008 are the latest to join the Journey.

The other faces of Facing a Century include portraits of Goldfish, Seth Rotherham, Ard Matthews of Just Jinjer, Springbok Legend, Bob Skinstad, current Springbok Captain, John Smit, the Soprano, Pretty Yende, Gareth Cliff, the Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Scotty Smith, another portrait of Springbok Captain, John Smit with his family, and the youngest face of Facing a Century so far, Kaelan Thomas Staschen. We need YOU to complete the century....more

Mark Shuttleworth Artist: Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi] Polytich, oil on canvas 279mm x 356mm, 279mm x 356mm, 279mm x 356mm, 279mm x 356mm

Mark Shuttleworth, the first African in space and groundbreaking entrepreneur, takes us to the 12th portrait of Facing a Century by the artist, Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi]. The dichromatic polytich in cadmium yellow and cobalt blue is an impasto, textured oil painting on four individual box canvasses. Mark was born in Welkom and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. In the final year of his degree in Finance and Information Systems at the University of Cape Town, Mark founded Thawte - a company that, being the fastest-growing internet certificate authority worldwide and the leading certificate authority outside of the USA, was acquired by VeriSign just four years later. Mark Shuttleworth is 'passionate about the triple thrusts of cadence, design and quality in open source' and has gone on to become the founder of the Ubuntu Project and Canonical. He is the founder of the investment company HBD (Here Be Dragons) and the Shuttleworth Foundation - a non-profit organization 'that accelerates social innovation in Africa with a particular focus on education' and whose aim is to 'support exceptional people to change the world in extraordinary ways.' For many of us, the most awe-inspiring leap into unmarked territory that Mark Shuttleworth has made was in 2002, in the First African in Space project. After months of training at Star City in Russia, he became a member of the crew of Soyuz TM-34 and launched into space from Baikonur in Kazakhstan to carry out an 8-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS). This moment in Facing a Century is of a proudly African boy who really did grow up to become an astronaut. As he continues to live his life, he has taken a liking to 'spring, cesaria evora, slashdot, chelsea, finally seeing something obvious for the first time, daydreaming, coming home, sinatra, sundowners, durbanville, flirting, string theory, particle physics, linux, python, mp3s, reincarnation, snow, mig-29s, travel, lime marmalade, mozilla, body shots, leopards, the african bush, rajhastan, snowboarding, russian saunas, weightlessness, broadband, iain m banks, alastair reynolds, skinny-dipping, fancy dress, flashes of insight, inexplicable happinesses, post-adrenaline euphoria, convertibles, country roads, clifton, the international space station, artificial intelligence, wikipedia, kitesurfing, manx lanes.' Mark Shuttleworth, thank you for becoming a part of this Journey, and for proving that it is possible to touch the sky and all the possibilities beyond it. [Many thanks to Claire Newman!] www.markshuttleworth.com

Raymond Ackerman Artist: Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi] Oil on canvas 610mm x 762mm

Raymond Ackerman, South Africa's Pioneer of the Hypermarket, indomitable leader in business and philanthropist, is the 13th face of Facing a Century by the artist Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi]. The portrait is a textured, oil on box canvas, classic grisaille painting in a paynes grey monochrome. Raymond's Pick n Pay story began in Cape Town in 1967 when he purchased a group of four small supermarkets. The decades that followed saw Pick n Pay growing under Ackerman's leadership to the close to 800 stores across South Africa, Southern Africa and Australia that it is today. Pick n Pay is a values-based, strong and enduring family business that has consistently featured in the Top 100 Companies since the early 1970s. Ackerman was the first South African recipient of the Award for Corporate Citizenship from the Woodrow Wilson Centre in 2008 for his entrepreneurial leadership and for the role he has played in the economic recovery and well being of the New South Africa. He has also been a recipient of the Sunday Times Lifetime Achiever Award, the Pioneer Award from the SA Council of Shopping Centres and the IMM Millenium Achievement Award from the Institute of Marketing Management. Raymond Ackerman's phenomenal success in business has been flanked by his commitment to philanthropy. The Ackerman Family Educational Trust supports educational upliftment in SA, providing scholarships and bursaries as well as funding educational organizations for the mentally and physically handicapped. He also established the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development together with the UCT Graduate School of Business in 2005 in order to offer SA youth the opportunity to develop themselves, their communities and nation. In recognition of his dedication to humanitarian service, he was named a Melvin Jones Fellow by Lions Clubs International and he received the B'nai B'rith Humanitarian Award. Thank you, Raymond Ackerman, for lending the face of one of SA's Men of the Decade to Facing a Century. [Many thanks to June Hanks!]

Become a fan of Sketchbooktrails on Facebook! Fans of Sketchbooktrails receive regular updates, discounts on paintings and can also stand a chance of winning a free portrait. The Sketchbooktrails mission? - SPREAD THE ARTBUG AROUND THE WORLD!

Yvonne Chaka Chaka Artist: Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi] Oil on canvas 762mm x 610mm

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the Princess of Africa, is the woman in the 8th portrait of Facing a Century by the artist Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi]. This adored African icon is an internationally renowned singer who sang her way into becoming an anti-Apartheid activist (her hit song, 'Motherland' in the late 1980s questioned why blacks in South Africa were seen as and called strangers in their own motherland), a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a philanthropist and founder of the Princess of Africa Foundation, an entrepreneur and a proudly African mother. Her moment was captured in oils on a 762mm x 610mm canvas. The impasto, heavily textured painting is true Pop Art in theme and incorporated the element, Earth to depict this phenomenal woman's deep love for and link to her Home, Africa. Yvonne is now an advocate for the health and rights of women and children in Africa, and her documentary 'The Motherland Tour: A Journey of African Women', which premiered all over the world in 2010, raises an awareness of how women are addressing their most pressing daily issues, including malaria, maternal and child health, HIV, women's empowerment, education, and poverty. The documentary is based around several profiles of extraordinary women and girls, many who have met adversity with action. Yvonne's numerous accomplishments can be attributed to an indomitable will and a childhood guided by the strength of her mother, Sophie Machaka. A domestic worker with only a Standard 6 education, Yvonne's mother was Yvonne's first mentor who gave her the gift of character. Honesty, generosity, gratitude, faith, responsibility, and moral integrity are all virtues Yvonne's mother taught her. Yvonne recalls, "My mother was always there for me. She was a young widow who raised three daughters single-handedly on a domestic workers salary. That took great courage and strength. When I was born in 1965 in Soweto, it was during apartheid, and those were extremely difficult times. When I was little I would strum an empty tin and blow into a broomstick pretending it was a microphone. I sang in church choirs. I loved singing." Yvonne's latest album 18/28 is filled with 'musical beats that spans afro-traditional to a world sound imbedded into several tracks, the power of the music equals the power of Yvonne's clear social and spiritual advice to her audience.' Taf and a great many others around the world, continue to love Yvonne, her voice, her songs, her immense courage. It is a privilege and an honour to have been able to give Yvonne Chaka Chaka a moment in Facing a Century. [Once again, many thanks to Rina Broomberg!]

2010, June 'Sketchbooktrails - A journey in Fine Art' Article by Seth Rotherham, 2oceansvibe

2011, January 'Art site seeks SA faces' Article by Lezette Engelbrecht, ITWeb online features editor, ITWeb

2011, January 'Facing A Century: turning pop culture into fine art' Article by Monica Davies, Creator of Awesomeness, A Thousand Guitars

2011, March Chai FM 101.9 Interview with David Batzofin

2011, May The Feather Awards, in association with the Female Tribe and 1st for Women Insurance Brokers Finalist: Arts, Culture and Heritage

2011, June Operation Bobbi Bear Article by Tafadzwa Mukwashi, Lead SA

2011, June "Painted Princess" Feature on the Yvonne Chaka Chaka Portrait on METRO FM

2011, June "Yvonne's Portrait Painted..." Feature on the Yvonne Chaka Chaka Portrait on www.princessofafrica.com

2011, December The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation's new generation of entrepreneurial leaders Article by Tafadzwa Mukwashi, Lead SA

Ben Nyaumwe Artist: Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi] Oil on canvas 457mm x 610mm

Ben Nyaumwe, founder and Managing Director of Auspex Property (Pty) Ltd, is the man in the 17th portrait of Facing a Century by the artist Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi]. In 1995, Nyaumwe became the first black graduate to obtain a BSc Construction Management from the University of Natal. The years that followed saw him forge a highly successful career in property development. He consulted for several leading contractors, including Grinaker, LTA and the National Department of Public Works, and was one of the founding members of Crowie Projects. He joined the Coega Development Corporation in 2002 and established and lead the Property Development portfolio for the Coega IDZ. Driven further by his passion for property development, Ben founded Auspex Property (Pty) Ltd in 2004 which is today comprised of four subsidiary companies including Auspex Hotels & Leisure Management Company (Pty) Ltd. Auspex Property was the first black owned and managed company to receive an excellence in property development award from SAPOA in 2007. Ben was recently the recipient of the ABSA Entrepreneur of the Year award in Port Elizabeth and is a member of the South African Project Management Institute. Ben Nyaumwe is the man who recently brought Port Elizabeth's first 5 star hotel to its shores, the Radisson Blu Hotel Port Elizabeth. The award winning hotel has taken PE to a new level and has given the city an iconic landmark. He is also the owner of Caprice Restro Lounge on the Port Elizabeth beachfront. The extremely popular Caprice Restro Lounge is a sophisticated, upmarket venue where the people of the Friendly City, and all its visitors, come to dine. Ben is at the forefront of taking Port Elizabeth to greater and greater heights, providing employment to over 200 people and leading the way in private sector investment in urban renewal in the CBD of PE. Ben is married to the beautiful Nelisiwe Twiggy and is the proud father of two girls. He enjoys rugby and cricket and is a member of the Eastern Cape Sharks Supporters club. Thank you, Ben Nyaumwe, for lending your face to Facing a Century! [Many thanks to Natasha Coleman!]

Kaelan Thomas Staschen Artist: Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi] Oil on canvas 508mm x 406mm

The 11th oil painting of Facing a Century by the artist Taf [Tafadzwa Mukwashi] is of the 1 and a half years young Kaelan Thomas Staschen, Louise Pearson and Greg Staschen's son. Kaelan's mother, Louise, was born in Cape Town and has spent the last decade in the UK. "I have the intention of moving back as I miss home so much. It's inexplicable... Africa is in your blood and the longer you stay away, the more it tries to pull you home. We took Kaelan to visit family this Christmas and he loved it... so I guess the point of me wanting to do this [the portrait] is for my son to have some visual connection to my home and what will be his home in the future. Africa is a part of me and a part of him." While on African soil, Kaelan discovered The Strawberry Bush. He would stealthily make his way outside to the bush, and triumphantly eat strawberries straight from it. Kaelan's moment in Facing a Century is one of the innocent mischief of this time and the tell-tale red stains are evidence of his strawberry feast. You need only to look into this child's captivating eyes to realize that a world of endless possibilities awaits him. We can all learn something from Kaelan and his moment - to love and be loved is a great thing, always trust enough for your beautiful soul to always shine through in your eyes, and don't waste an inch of life - eat strawberries from the very beginning and make sure you never stop. Thank you, Kaelan, for joining the Journey and Facing a Century. Kaelan & The Strawberry Bush

Global Dialogue on Art CALLING ALL ARTISTS AND WRITERS! You can become a featured artist or writer on the Global Dialogue on Art on Sketchbooktrails...more