Creative pieces set artist apart, earn him good money

Cleophas Chengo. He uses bits of gems to make walking sticks unique. (Photo:Pascal Mwandambo)

By Pascal Mwandambo

Cleophas Chengo has a unique talent. The budding artist’s style of using gemstone chips to design works of art with great sentimental value has put him in an exclusive class.

The passion for beauty has propelled Chengo, 42, to experiment with rare forms of art.

“Talents are varied since all of us cannot produce the same works of art. It’s good to come up with creative pieces that can distinguish you,” says Chengo about his unique products.

It takes him about four days to design a beautiful walking stick.

Fine touch

To give his artwork the fine touch, he ensures he has enough supply of gemstone. He buys the colourful chips from mining sites in Kasigau.

To reduce on cost, he purchases gemstone sand, which he then sifts carefully to separate the gemstone chips from soil. The chips are normally from tourmaline as well as red and green garnets.

Woodwork is tastefully done to ensure the product is of high quality. Chengo carves the sticks using the rare and expensive local hardwood mwingo.

Once the wood is carved out to the desired shape, the artist meticulously sticks the gemstone pieces on the polished wood surface in neat patterns using special glue.

The finished product is not only an attractive artistic piece but also one that can fetch good prices in the market.

“The value of art is sentimental. If you love a piece of artwork, you shouldn’t feel the pinch if you buy it at a good price. Unfortunately, few people, especially in the villages, understand and appreciate the true value of art.”

The artist, who hails from Kasigau which is rich in gemstones, says he designs his artwork from these rare stones to encourage locals to find pride in their God-given resources.

Vast resources

However, he is unhappy that local people still languish in poverty despite the vast resources found in their land.

“This is discouraging as it makes the people view jewellery and other items designed from gemstones as a preserve of foreigners or the very rich.”

Chengo is planning to venture into producing a wider range of products.

He is already working on flowerpots, wood carvings of wild animals and picture frames. After he decorates them with the gemstone chips, his products are amazing.

Chengo’s artwork targets tourists visiting Tsavo National Park and the Kasigau tourism belt.

“Many tourists love wildlife carvings and I am sure they will find my work attractive. In about three months’ time, I will have made several items for sale to the tourists,” says Chengo.

He is yet to make great returns for his art, but Chengo is optimistic. Already, says he, things are looking up.

Since he doesn’t spend much money to buy the gems — he spends about Sh2,000 for the gems but sometimes he gets it free as the miners are his friends — each item sold gives him good returns.

And any income he gets from his business, he says, will be ploughed into improving the business.

“Once I get some good money, I will buy gemstones of higher quality. This will make my finished products much more attractive and, of course, earn me some good money.”

He the attention his products are attracting means there lies the gem of creating jobs for the many unemployed youths.