TOYOTA CONNECT


Nkosinathi’s mentor helped perfect


his skill to the point where he was able to set up his own workshop, which he later expanded with a knife-forging service. These offerings are complementary,


ON A BLADE’S EDGE


If the art of scrimshaw is new to you, you’re not alone. It’s only in recent years that this craft, which involves the embellishment of ivory and bone (usually on knives), has started gaining more attention. And Zimbabwean- born scrimshaw artist Nkosinathi Jubane, a member of the prestigious SA Knifemakers’ Guild, is proud to be playing a part in that resurgence. He explains that he grew up


with scrimshaw, scratching white engravings on black serpentine stones in Zimbabwe, though he wasn’t yet aware of the technical name for his craft. The turning point for transforming this pastime into a livelihood came after he was sent to an arts centre for training. All the pupils there were taught the basics of arts ranging from ceramics to watercolours, then given further tuition in the sphere where they displayed the greatest aptitude.


Nkosinathi’s area of specialty turned


out to be fine art and his rare ability caught the eye of a gun- and knife-seller who’d recently attended a hunting exhibition in the USA. Exposed to scrimshaw for the first time, he was looking for African artists who could replicate the same art.


he says. “You can’t do scrimshaw for longer than about half an hour at a time,” he says. “In countries like the USA, specialist equipment like microscopes are readily available, but in SA, we still do each drawing dot by dot.” That’s why he usually works on up to 10 pieces at a time. It’s a production line, in a sense: if he’s working on a series of giraffes (wildlife is a favourite subject, a reference to the bones which form the background to his medium), he’ll first complete the eyes on each piece before moving on to the next feature. “My knife- making gives me a chance to rest my own eyes,” he says. Scrimshaw is not only minutely


detailed work, but is distinctly addictive. “Once you start scratching, you simply don’t want to stop,” says Nkosinathi.


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PHOTOGRAPHER: JUSTIN BARLOW


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