Like many children who dream to have a great impact on the world when they grow up, Elysee Kwizera’s wish since childhood has been to change how art is viewed and perceived. Unlike other developed countries where art pays a lot and is valued, to his dismay, it isn’t the case in Rwanda. But he is working tooth and nail to improve his talent as he hopes to raise the Rwandan flag worldwide through oil and digital painting. Although he started drawing at a young age, he started art as a career in 2015. The 22-year-old is a professional artist skilled in digital and oil painting artworks, and lives in Kicukiro District, Nyarugunga sector. With oil painting, he uses brushes and paints, while for digital painting that is self-taught, he uses tablets and iPads. He was equipped with the art skills through studying graphic arts, ceramic and sculpture at Ecole d’art de Nyundo in Rubavu District. Kwizera is currently a student of the University of Tourism Technology and Business Studies, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in travel and tourism management. Regardless of the challenges he has so far encountered, such as expensive art materials, he doesn’t underestimate connections with different artists, the continuous learning and the usual customers. In 2015, the talented artist organised an art exhibition called ‘Fly Free’ in Kigali and in 2017 he exhibited his painting artworks at Kigali Heights. In 2019, he was among the few artists that attended “Izihirwe art exhibition”. Kwizera has made a total of more than 200 oil paintings, some of which were commissioned and others which are displayed in different art galleries like Kigali Art Center, Izihirwe and Biganza art galleries. The youngster does art from his parents’ home in Kanombe and advertises his artwork on social media, mostly on Instagram and Facebook as “elysee k arts.” His portraits go for $80 and more for the oil paintings and $10 or more for digital paintings. “My plan is to develop Rwandan digital art and make people more conversant about drawing. I am also looking forward to creating my animation cartoons platform all over the world,” he says. Kwizera chose oil painting because it creates luminous, hardwearing colours, and blends well with surrounding paints. But also with oil paints, he says that since it is slower to dry as compared to watercolours, it enables him more time to work with creations and make changes. Also, it can be left open for long periods of time and can also be exposed to air for several weeks without drying. The local artist says that oil paints slide across the surface with a very satisfying feel and the finished product looks lush and peculiar. He loves digital painting as it gives him the wonderful ability to undo his mistakes. When he makes an error, he can step back from it right away with just a click of a button. According to Kwizera, regardless of how many times he erases, the digital canvas stays clean, and won’t rip apart which isn’t the case with paper. “Digital art allows me to use all the colours I want, without paying anything extra, and I can create as many colour palettes as I wish,” he says.
