Original artwork

Edition 1 of 1

Paint on repurposed London bus panel

39 x 55cm

Jonni Cheatwood, the Brazilian-American artist, works across several mediums to convey stories and mementos from his past, turning abstractions of his autobiography into the meat of his art. His work includes painting, photography, graphic design, and textile art in order to create several layers of depth to the ambiguity of his portraiture. Cheatwood’s process involves the manipulation of scrap fabrics to create the basis of his canvas, over which intuitive brush strokes create the many textures of life. The artist plays with reality by combining real fabric patterns with traditional canvas, allowing the eye to find familiarity in places in order to build stronger metaphors in other places. The heads of his figures are formed by the scratches and scars of a bathroom wall, the popping graffiti of the train in a desert, and the colourful bumblings of a child. While chaotic on the surface, the heads are expertly drawn together by the thick black line work of an “expressionist brought up on Saturday morning cartoons.” Jonni Cheatwood works and lives in Los Angeles California, and has recently exhibited in London, Finland, and Germany.