Jamaican Journey II

Acrylic

2021

58x42 cm

The second of two portraits, this portrait of my mother celebrates her Jamaican heritage, and the journey she has taken from one home to another, new home.

What makes my mother’s journey from Jamaica to the UK so meaningful is that her culture and origin would follow her. We see this everywhere in today’s multi-cultural societies – where diverse expressions of culture and migration bring beautiful traditions from around the world closer to home.

In the portrait, my mother wears a vibrant Jamaican headwrap draped over her shoulders, her expression both regal and serene. The headwrap originated in Africa, reaching Jamaica through the transatlantic slave trade. To trace this journey further, the background features an old British-colonial map, revealing another layer of her story rooted in resilience and heritage. Together, these elements – history, origin, and a personal narrative – evoke a celebration of culture and a beautiful portrayal of my mother through a narrative lens.

This portrait began with an transferred image of an old British colonial map, which I used to form the background. Using Mod Podge, I transferred the image and created a rough, uneven surface to paint over. This textured base felt well suited to the bold, thick splashes of colour I planned to introduce in the background.

The washed yellow tones of the map provided a natural foundation for the deeper, more vibrant skin tones, built with burnt sienna, umber, and yellow ochre. As I developed the face, these layered colours created a sense of warmth and depth that emerged organically from the map beneath.

I gradually built up layers of acrylic paint, working to capture fine detail while drawing on several references to create an authentic depiction of my mother.