“The Rock of the Noahtion” is a custom piece, created for South African Comedian and host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah.

The relationship that Trevor and his mother, Patricia is such a special bond. Being raised by a single mother during apartheid in South Africa had many challenges as Trevor, who was “born a crime” (also the title of his book) to a black Xhosa woman and a white Swiss man. Shielded from the reality by his family, Patricia always made sure Trevor had the best she could provide. Growing up Trevor’s family was poor, but he never realised that as a child. Patricia had a lot of optimism, although she endured a lot through her life. Having the ability to appreciate the reality of the world she was in but also optimistic to pursue the future she wished to exist in and passing that on to her son.

I wanted to capture that bond in this piece. A young Trevor being hugged and surrounded by the love of his mother, a rock of a woman. She believed her son could be anything, despite their current circumstances.

The portrait is painted in a monochrome colour scheme with acrylic paint in different thicknesses to give a more realistic feel. The background of the piece is created in my trash to treasure style by using recycled materials (soda cans and single-use aluminium coffee capsules). The pattern in the background is inspired by a Xhosa tribal pattern, often seen in their beautiful traditional beadwork. The “upcycled waste” used in this piece really becomes a symbol of the journey that they walked as a family. Patricia tried to make the best of each situation, turning it into something beautiful.

Title: “The Rock of the Noahtion”

Dimensions: 600 x 400mm

Medium: Mixed Medium (Acrylic Paint, Recycled Nespresso Capsules, Fanta Cans)

About the author, Mariska

Hi and welcome! My name is Mariska. I am originally from South Africa, but now call the world my home. I am an artist, designer, environmentalist, podcast host and speaker.

I started the Mama Earth Talk podcast in 2018 to share some of the things that I learned about just how easy it can be to reduce your impact on the environment. This then quickly grew into a forum that showcases the amazing things that many people are doing to make the planet better, and further into a source of hope and inspiration for many. A few of the amazing guests include Zero Waste Queen, Bea Johnson, Claude Silver, Kathryn Kellogg and zero waste chef Max La Manna.

If you do not already I urge you to follow me and my journey on social media (@designbymariska), and to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot your own waste using the handy tips I post!