In Wiseman Ndlovu's workshop the sculpting changes hands. Thabo, Bennet and Sello each shape pieces in their own way, and you can learn to tell them apart by the animals. The painting does not change hands. On nearly everything that leaves the studio, the brush is Wiseman's.
The ark
Wiseman is a pastor as well as an artist, and the story of the ark returns to his work. On the newest one, sculpted by Bennet Zondo, the passengers are the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo lean out of the cabin windows over a sea of green waves, with a crocodile and a water lily keeping to the waterline. The last boat from his studio found a collector in September within days of arriving.
Big 5 Boat
Sculpted by Bennet Zondo, painted by Wiseman
$4,800
Where the butterflies landed
The butterfly teapot was sculpted by Thabo. The butterflies came first, settling on the lid, the spout and the shoulder, and Wiseman painted a wide yellow hibiscus beneath them and turned the handle into a green stem.
Butterfly Teapot
Sculpted by Thabo
$1,250
Leopard Teapot
Sculpted by Bennet
$750
Pangolins, three ways
Pangolins run through this group: a bowl with them curled nose to tail around the rim, a sculpture with every scale laid on separately, and a rider. Alongside them come a pair of monkey candlesticks holding their flowers up like torches, a leopard jug and the riders.
Pangolin Bowl
Sculpted by Bennet
$5,800
Pangolin Sculpture
Sculpted by Sello
$2,500
Pair Of Monkey Candlesticks
Sculpted by Bennet
$7,500