Blog

  1. Old Fashioned Cocktail

    21 Aug 2019
    This cocktail was introduced to me through Mad Men on AMC. At the time I had no idea of its rich history. This was a true prohibition drink. The orange peel, sugar and bitters were used to mask the taste of alcohol. I prefer mine with rye whiskey (ex. Bulleit)…

  2. Apple

    20 Aug 2019
    I got inspired to take a break from portraiture and create an interpretation of a classic still life. Painting from direct observation (or a photograph in this case because I was on the train) is an amazing way to develop as an artist. The brush I used in Procreate was…

  3. The Sweetest Gift (Alternate Versions)

    13 Aug 2019
    I decided yesterday to continue playing around with this painting. I’m on a creative high and I feel like experimenting. Digital art affords me a lot of opportunity to revisit a piece and quickly make adjustments while preserving the “original” My intention was to move away from the renaissance theme…

  4. The Sweetest Gift

    12 Aug 2019
    This is the seventh and final painting of this series inspired by my fiance, Rahisha and songs by Sade. The inspiriation was renaissance and impressionist paintings. I affectionately call her a “Queen” and this feeds in to how I treat her in the relationship and how I interpret her through…

  5. By Your Side

    06 Aug 2019
    Continuing with cropping I borrowed a selfie Rahisha took with my phone of us on the beach and used it for inspiration for this painting. The message is companionship. I have the privledge of being in a relationship with my best friend. What that looks like is conversations that light…

  6. Kiss of Life

    31 Jul 2019
    One thing I started to take on in this series of paintings is cropping. Each painting is inspired by photo reference from a recent photoshoot Rahisha and I created. Usually I paint the entire picture without making adjustments. This time I decided to take one piece of the reference photo…

  7. Skin

    25 Jul 2019
    I was told that creating a certain ambiguity in my paintings is a great way to engage my audience. As an artist I want to hold people’s attention while they figure out what my intention is. It becomes a conversation piece. As for technique I wanted to have a brushy…

  8. Morning Bird

    22 Jul 2019
    I looked to renaissance and impressionist paintings for the inspiration to create this painting. It’s intentionally ambigous in the way of at first glance it could be an afro you’re looking at or perhaps a bush. It’s something about afros and natural hair that I gravitate to. That goes especially…

  9. Your Love Is King

    16 Jul 2019
    My relationship with love has been a difficult one. Being vulnerable with another person can be terrifying. What I’ve learned is that even when things look bleak there is an opportunity for triumph, growth and happiness. What love looks like to me is perseverance, kindness and taking a stand. I…

  10. Be That Easy

    07 Jul 2019
    Being in a loving relationship definitely informs the kind of art that I create. This is the first of a series of paintings on intimacy, self care and wellness. My girlfriend, Rahisha is a hardworking entrepreneur, single mother and activist among other things. It can be difficult for her to…

Copyright © 2018, Raheem Nelson. All rights reserved.
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