Craftsman brightens damp weather with his carvings

THE wet Port Moresby weather on Saturday was not able to stop passionate craftsmen and women and buyers from going to the craft market at Laguna Hotel.
Among those present was carver John Kambu, 58, of Tambunum village in Angoram, East Sepik, who has been carving since 1976.
Kambu said he sold his carvings to individuals and organisations around Papua New Guinea and abroad.
“I have a big family that I support mostly by selling carvings,” he said.
“I registered my company, Mevimbit Professional Carvers in 2017 and was given the opportunity to carve the light posts that you now see at Ela Beach.”
Kambu’s son, Jackson, 18, is aspiring to follow in his father’s footsteps and has also made several carvings for sale.
A painter, John Kela, a father of five from Kerowagi in Chimbu, was also at Laguna Hotel to sell his paintings of PNG’s landscapes and traditional attires.
“I had no formal education so I taught myself to paint and since then I have been painting for 10 years; since then I have sold a good number of paintings,” he said.
Kela said he used to paint full time but since getting a job as a security guard, he could only find time on the weekends to paint and sell his work.
Kambu and Kela both thanked the organisers of the craft market for providing them the opportunity to sell their pieces.