A primarily self-taught artist, Mopho creates carvings of Africa’s wild animals in the unique medium of leadwood. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Mopho Gonde is now hailed as the finest wildlife sculptor in southern Africa utilizing leadwood. “The greatest thing about leadwood is that the hardwood trees need not be destroyed. This medium comes from dead trees, once pushed over by great elephants, which have laid in the African sun and rain for years and have almost become petrified”.
Like teak, leadwood is extremely hard and when polished turns a rich reddish color, giving it a wonderful earthy look. Mopho’s animal sculptures are painstakingly created by hand and capture the very essence of each animal in exacting detail.
Mary Martin Gallery I is located on 103 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 843-723-0303
Mary Martin Gallery IIis located at 143 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Mary Martin Galleries have been selected as the best galleries in South Carolina for thirteen years in a row and amd selected as one of the top 20 galleries in the nation, Also, MMG has been selected as the best gallery by several local publications.
