Richard Chiwasa
Richard Chiwasa, born on 6 June 1947 at Arcturus Mine outside Harare. He is of the Chewa Tribe, and his Totem is the lion.
He passed standard VI at school and while he was there he excelled at art, always being top of his class. He left school in 1964 and then attended Nyarutsetso Art Centre for three years where he learnt to carve in soapstone, doing animals and Heads, in fact, he prefers to carve wild animals and is excellent.
After leaving the Art Centre he went to the Victoria Falls where he sold his soap stone carvings to the tourists. He worked at the Victoria Falls for nine years.
During the liberation war, the tourist trade declined so in 1974 he decided to go to Harare where he started working in Verdite. He found working in Verdite a great challenge and it took him a year to adjust to the new medium. He is one of the very few artists who are able to carve lions.
He has travelled to South Africa, but has never been abroad. His ambition is to earn sufficient money to purchase a farm and settle down. He would like to be able to carve only as a hobby.
Artist Sculpture:
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