Custom designed embroidered cloth by Ephas Mathebula and Sylvia Khubayi

This beautiful Kaross cloth was designed by Ephas Mathebula and hand-embroidered by Sylvia Khubayi.

Titled "The Lion Hunt", this 1 x 1.8m artwork reflects Ephas' strong faith and love for God. Ephas is 30 years old and has been living in Mamitwa Village near Kaross all his life. He is the father of Brendon (7), and his wife is expecting their second child, Emmanuel. Besides his love for drawing, Ephas loves his calling as a preacher at the Body of Christ church in Mamitwa.

Inspiration for this Embroidered Art Piece

He explained that the Lion Hunt symbolises man overcoming problems in life through having faith in God. The lion in the picture represents problems in your life that seem big and threatening, but God gives the small and sometimes insignificant man courage to kill the lion. The birds symbolize the ever present God, bringing peace and watching out for you in the woods. "In our VaTsonga culture the hare is an animal that is gifted to speak and then change his words...so that one cannot trust him." This embroidered cloth represents things in our lives that take away our focus from God, be it fear, wealth, poverty, abuse etc. "One needs to focus on God and not be scared to change your life", is Ephas' message. 

Ephas designed a series of ten Lion Hunt cloths, this is the first to be completed. We are excited by the inspiration of this new and promising Kaross artist, and will certainly share more of his works of art in future!

Sylvia Khubayi is proud of her Handmade Decor Pieces

Sylvia Khubayi, the talented embroiderer of this piece, is the mother of a 21 year old daughter, Princess, who is studying at a Pretoria College to become an Electrical Engineer. Sylvia stays in Nkambako Village with her husband. Her handmade home decor items are the only source of income for her family. She has been creating art pieces for Kaross since 2005, and is very proud of her work - we think rightly so! We love how something as "arty" as embroidery can make such a big difference in this family's life.

This beautiful African artwork has been sold - but shop for more original Kaross pieces here.  

For more photos or to comment on this piece, please click here.

A short video featuring Sylvia Khubayi and the hand-embroidered Lion Hunt cloth