HELLO QHAMANANDE AND WELCOME TO THE 4BYSIX FAMILY, IT IS GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD OUR CURRENT VEHICLES FOR CHANGE INITIATIVE AND TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR ART PRACTICE. 

FIRSTLY, PLEASE CAN YOU TELL US HOW THE FUNCTION OF PORTRAITURE AS A METHOD FOR EXPLORING IDENTITY, MEMORY, AND BELONGING INITIALLY BECAME THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR ARTISTIC PRACTICE?

Portraiture became the foundation of my practice because it was the first way I could combine my love for storytelling with drawing and painting. Growing up, whenever people found out I could draw or paint, their reaction was always the same: they'd light up and immediately ask me to paint them. I realized people don’t just want a picture. They want to be seen, to have their story held in a frame. That reaction showed me how powerful portraits could be. 

So my first project was dedicated to them. I took photos of my close friends and used those portraits to document their stories. Through their faces, expressions, and what they chose to share, I started exploring identity, memory, and belonging. That’s how portraiture became my starting point. It let me listen to people and tell their stories back to them. 

AS PURPLE HAS BECOME A DEFINING ELEMENT OF YOUR PORTRAITURE, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING AND REFINING THE PARTICULAR SHADE OF PURPLE YOU CURRENTLY USE? HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU FOUND THE HUE THAT CONVEYS THE SENSE OF DIGNITY, POWER, AND ROYALTY CENTRAL TO YOUR WORK?

Purple became a defining part of my work at the exact moment I was trying to figure out who I was as an artist and find my own voice. I was experimenting a lot. I tested dozens of purples, some too blue, some too red, some that felt flat or decorative. None of them felt right until I mixed a shade that had weight to it. It was deep enough to feel regal, but still warm enough to feel human. The moment I put it on a portrait, I knew. The person I painted didn’t just look like themselves, they looked elevated, dignified, and powerful. 

I chose purple because of what it symbolises, royalty, power, dignity. That’s exactly how I want to portray the people I paint. Most of them don’t get seen that way in everyday life. Purple lets me give them that crown without saying a word. When the color started doing that work for me, I knew I’d found my hue. 

YOUR PAINTINGS OFTEN DEMONSTRATE A CAREFUL AND ATTENTIVE RENDERING OF FABRIC. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO DEPICTING TEXTILES IN SUCH DETAIL, AND WHAT ROLE DO THEY PLAY IN COMMUNICATING THE IDENTITY, HISTORY, OR INNER LIFE OF YOUR SUBJECTS?

I’ve always been drawn to intricate details, and painting fabric is where I get completely lost in it. What pulls me to textiles is that they tell a story beyond the face. The way a cloth folds, its texture, how it drapes, all of that says something about identity, history, and the inner life of the person wearing it. A piece of fabric can show where someone comes from, what they value, or even how they’re feeling that day. I fell in love with painting drapery during my undergraduate years. I was studying classical art, and I was obsessed with how those old masters would spend hours getting every fold and shadow right. Watching how they used fabric to add dignity and weight to their subjects made me realize it wasn’t just background detail. It was part of the portrait itself. So now, when I paint, the fabric isn’t decorated. It’s language. It helps me show more of who my subject is. 

WHAT DREW YOU TO WORKING WITH 4BYSIX AND SUPPORTING THEIR AMBITION TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT THROUGH THE PROMOTION OF USING REPURPOSED MATERIALS WITHIN ART?

What drew me to 4BYSIX is their belief that art can do more than look beautiful, it can actually change things. 

I love the idea of taking repurposed materials and giving them new life. It lines up with how I see my own work, giving dignity and value to people who are often overlooked. Using materials that were once discarded to create something meaningful felt like the right kind of message. For me, it also comes down to giving back. I see my ability to paint and draw as a gift entrusted to me by God. If I can use that gift to help where I can and support a project that creates positive social impact, then I want to be part of it. 4BYSIX gave me that chance.

REFERRING BACK TO THE NOTION OF FABRIC AND ITS SIGNIFICANT PLACE WITHIN YOUR WORK, CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU FOUND WORKING ON THE LORRY TARPAULIN? DID THE PROCESS AND SURFACE SPARK ANY NEW IDEAS OR IMPACT THE DIRECTION OF THE PIECES YOU MADE?

The new pieces I made on the repurposed lorry tarpaulin felt special from the start. The material itself has a history — it’s tough, weathered, and carried things before it carried paint. That texture forced me to slow down and really listen to what the surface wanted. Personally, it connected to my belief in giving things a second chance. Just like the people I paint, this tarpaulin was once used for transport and work, often unseen. Now it holds a portrait. That shift from useful to seen is exactly the kind of story I want to tell. So the pieces are about resilience. The material, the subjects, and the message all speak to the same thing, value doesn’t disappear just because something’s been used. 

YOU SPEAK ABOUT CAPTURING NOT ONLY THE ESSENCE OF YOUR SUBJECTS BUT ALSO THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE ENVIRONMENTS THEY INHABIT. TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THOSE ENVIRONMENTS INFORM YOUR WORK?

The environment is always part of the portrait, not just background. I pay attention to light, texture, and the objects my subjects live with every day. Those details are shaped by the social and economic conditions around them, and they tell me what people value and make space for. That affects how I compose each piece, how close the figure is, what I choose to highlight, and how the space feels around them. The room or setting shows how someone adapts, cares, and creates within the world they have. So the portrait becomes a record of both the person and the life they’re navigating.

FINALLY, HOW IS LIFE IN THE STUDIO AT THE MOMENT? WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR PRACTICE?

Life in the studio at the moment feels calm but busy. I’m spending most days painting, listening to music, and really focusing on getting each portrait right. There’s a lot of quiet time where I just sit with the work and think about the stories I’m trying to tell. What’s next for me is to keep going deeper with the people I paint. I want to capture more of their presence and the way they move through the world. I’m also planning new pieces that center community voices and personal histories, because that connection is what keeps my practice alive. Right now it’s about staying curious, staying consistent, and letting each painting teach me something new.