Artist Arnaldo Wilson presents an intimate selection of charcoal and graphite figurative drawings. Visit his website to see more of his work.
I was born on the beautiful island of Trinidad and Tobago, but spent my teenage years into adulthood on the tough city streets of Brooklyn, New York.
As an immigrant without legal status, I was at a disadvantage with my fellow peers.
Challenges became my fuel, always pushing me to be the best version of myself regardless of my surroundings or society’s limitations.
The trials of life gave me the skills I needed to sharpen my pencil and breathe life into my art.
Following the path of a film director and photographer opened my eyes like never before. Being able to see my ideas come to life from a thought in my head, to words on script and then to a screen awakened a world of new possibilities giving my imagination the power of flight—allowing me to not only dream bigger and clearly, but to dream in 8K.
The effect of this allowed my art to be as detailed as I can possibly get it.
With no schooling or training, I started drawing as a way to relax. The more I continued, the larger my love for art grew.
I wanted to make my dreams and inner feelings come alive. Dreams I had at night; daydreams while I drove; feelings and thoughts all became inspiration that fueled this passion.
The use of women in my art represents the feminine side of myself, a side that as a man I have been trained not to express in words. Each piece I create is an emotion or feeling I wish to relive or recreate.
I love painting in black and white. I enjoy working with charcoal and the feeling that charcoal brings. The absence of colour takes away any distractions and allows the audience to navigate emotionally through each piece with ease.
Artist Arnaldo Wilson invites you to follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Reddit.