Fifteen years ago the paintings that illustrates this post would not have had a cat in hell's chance of being exhibited other than in the confines of my own studio. Now, thanks to the internet, my paintings and sculptures reach a worldwide audience. Currently these pages are being viewed in 121 countries, and that's not counting individual islands in the Caribbean.
Pearl was a medical student here in Dominica when she modelled for these painting three years ago. She's now back home in Nigeria and in lock-down like the rest of us. As with all my models, I keep in touch. Her response to a recent email I sent with copies of some of her paintings was: Oh wow, how skinny I was!
A website titled "The only magic left is art" (https://www.theonlymagicleftisart.com/Manifesto) has this to say about the revolution that is brewing:
There is an invisible revolution going on right now. The old ways are being uprooted by a new generation of artists through social media. Ten years ago it was practically impossible to get exposure to a vast international audience without being sponsored by a high profile company. Now all of that has changed. Never before have we lived in a time when artists have an even playing field against the more privileged. Talent is finally becoming the backbone of success rather than nepotism. Money is irrelevant. Vision now has the power to go viral. We are entering an era of artistic equality in the creative stratosphere.
Here is another of Pearl's paintings.
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