Gelson Avorwlanu

<b>Update (November, 2019)</b><br><br> ?I have been part of this success story now for 6 years. NOVICA has improved my creative skills. The way I design has to a large extent improved. My products tended to crack a lot, and I am working on improving on the issue.<br><br> ?The NOVICA loan helped with me acquiring machinery for my shop, which made me very happy. I have purchased some machines for carving, and also a drilling machine and a bench.<br><br> ?I started out at the Accra art center, and I am still at the same location. But I am planning on getting a new place to start designing.<br><br> ?I have trained 2 men how to carve and finish artworks. Through my sales with NOVICA, my child has been enrolled in art school. My primary aim is to obtain a big company or shop and get more machinery to work on a larger scale.? <br><br> <b>Original Artisan Story</b><br><br> "I am Gelson Avorwlanu and I was born in Accra. I am a quiet, jovial person and I was raised in a family of carvers. I learned my skills from my father and grandfather who were both master woodcarvers. They worked at home so, when I was out of school and during weekends and vacations, I stayed close to them to develop my skills. <br><br> "My parents had been observing us, looking for an interest in carving so they could pass on their knowledge. After finishing junior high school in 1997, I focused on carving and have done so ever since. <br><br> "It was not easy back then because machines were not available and everything was done by hand. I remember having to cut a big log into smaller pieces by hand. By the time I finished, I didn't have any energy left. <br><br> "It took a long time to carve the items and I had to sell them from door to door. This made it very difficult. But with the introduction of electric saws, it is now easy to a the log into the sizes required, which frees up more more time to design and carve. I can now create more designs than in the past. <br><br> "I use sese, ebony, rosewood, mahogany and cow bone for my work. I like to carve animals because I love them and often watch documentaries about animals. I like to capture some of their movement and translate them onto the wood. It feels good when I'm able to capture a scene. The challenging part is capturing the very fine details, which I can't sometimes achieve because I don't have the tools to do it. <br><br> "So far, I've taught four people how to carve and they are doing very well. It's a joy to teach or impart a skill to someone else. My dream is to one day open a big workshop to train more people."