Artwork Description:

Title: Stanfield

Inspired by David M. Helman’s music video for Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘Cold Little Heart,’ and made available for prints with Helman’s express permission, this soft pastel portrait explores the expression of human turmoil as seen in the music video.

As with all my pastel artworks, I apply colour using soft pastel sticks and then use my hands to work this into the surface, pressing in, shifting colour, and blending. I build layers of pastel until I am happy with the work produced.

The music video which inspired this work is a personal favourite and it perfectly captures the dynamics of the relationship between the two characters, performed by Jimmy L. Perry III and LaKeith Stanfield, the latter being the inspiration for this portrait. I am grateful to Helman for permitting me to make this work available.

As a portrait artist, I have appeared on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, BBC Radio Derby, and have been longlisted and shortlisted for several art awards.

Artist Bio:

Melissa Speed is a pastel artist inspired by history who specialises in portraiture in her unique style.