Title: Activation

Year: 2021

Size: 30” x 48”
Technique: Stretched canvas (acrylic paint, acrylic ink, alcohol ink)
This painting is featured in the Vanity Fair UK May 2021 issue.

Activation
Inspiration: I had a vision of symbols which are important to me, but I shall keep the per-sonal details to myself for now. These symbols help connect me to my essence, and I felt compelled to draw and paint them on this canvas. I decided to cover these expressions with black and bronze acrylic paint, and Havana Brown ink. It was a deliberate decision to make a painting with an illuminated cryptograph, and then cover it up. I was curious to see what would happen if I achieved that in a painting. The very next day, Vanity Fair UK con-tacted me, and “Activation” is currently in print in their May 2021 issue.

Technique: This canvas was painted in acrylic white paint first while the canvas was laying down on a table. I used alcohol ink and isopropyl 99, and mixed the two products togeth-er. Using a blow dryer and palette knives, I tilted the canvas in certain directions to move the elements. Climbing a ladder, I viewed the canvas to see how I wanted to continue to move the products.