South African artist Craig Banks honoured the life of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu with a stunning charcoal portrait.
Eastern Cape, South Africa (03 January 2022) – The world has bid the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu farewell. After his passing in December 2021, every South African mourned the loss of the South African icon, and each person said their goodbye in their own special way. For artist Craig Banks, he chose to honour the late Archbishop with a charcoal portrait.
Craig is a talented artist, using the medium of charcoal to capture the likeness of a person. He shared with Good Things Guy that the portrait of Archbishop Desmond Tutu took him five hours to work on, and he did it as an A4. He created the artwork to honour the South African hero.
We were blown away by the detail and joy that Craig was able to capture in his artwork. When asked about his works, Craig explained that he specialises in Charcoal portraits and has worked with the cremated ashes of loved ones to create unique and memorable artworks for people to honour their own loved ones.
“I work in charcoal and pencil but what I specialise in, is incorporating cremated ashes in a charcoal portrait. First of its kind in the world and my own technique I’ve developed. Something unusual, deeply personal, and very heartfelt but definitely not for everyone”
Take a look at the stunning portrait Craig shared with us. We asked what his plans for this artwork were, and he shared that he didn’t have anything in mind but that he shared a great fondness for the late Archbishop. You can find more of his works here.
“As South Africa and the world mourn the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who died on 26 December, aged 90, we remember his profound legacy.
Aside from being a member of the clergy, Tutu was a key figure during the anti-apartheid movement, an advocate for human rights and a voice of reason and compassion against poverty, racism, xenophobia and corruption, and for human development.
On a personal note, he shared the name of my beloved father Desmond Banks, who always spoke fondly of the humble and insightful person that he was.” – Craig Banks
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