Title: CONTEMPLATION
Much of my work draws from traditional African and West Indian culture. And because a lot of its art is abstracted and the use of motifs so embedded in its expression, they become a main visual resource I often use to present my narrative. Here I have featured two heads representing the deities, Creation and Creativity.
Surface for me is important because the media you work with - in this case acrylic, inks and graphite - react differently on different surfaces. The wood panels I use always come with a particular grain, and the direction of the grain often dictates the way I work on the surface or even the composition. In this self-portrait, I used a variety of tools to manipulate the paint on the surface and to add textures, mainly working with earthy tones. So wood became the obvious choice as it is robust enough to bear the process.
This is the first self-portrait sketch I made to work out the composition.
And you can see more details of my journey through the Sky Arts competition here.