sock puppet portraits • 3 comments • We met this guy when we were walking on the high line. He makes and sells portraits of sock puppets. I think they're adorable. - Mina
fertal lahcen • 4 comments • While in Aït Benhaddou, we met the artist Fertal Lahcen. Despite the fact that he explained it to us, we still don't entirely understand how his process works, but the paintings are lovely and there's one hanging on our wall now to remind us of our time in Morocco.
golden • 20 comments • The flower, pictured above, is made entirely of recycled cans by Khayelitsha resident, Golden Nongawuza. Our tour took us into Golden's workshop/gallery/home, where he treated us to a step-by-step demonstration of his technique for building one of his signature flowers. Years ago, while struggling to find work, Golden claims to have been sent a message from God, through his dreams, to find a solution to his poverty in a junkyard. Using aluminum cans, he started making a variety of flowers for tourists. As his technique has improved, so has his creativity. Sunflowers, roses, lilies, are a small sample of the variety of flowers on display in his workshop. Golden has earned enough from his flowers to send all his daughters to school, even though he himself struggles to read. He is assisted in his workshop by his daughter who opted not to go to school. The small space is filled with cans and paint supplies in addition to postcards and letters from fans all over the globe. He also has several posters of Obama on his walls! Golden and his family continue to live in Khayelitsha and fabricate the flowers. His English is limited, but he loves visitors from around the world.
