"Atlantis is Rising" by Sherwin Long

medium: Acrylic on wood  
size: 9.5" x 6"
This painting is about the lost civilization of Atlantis and how they sunk under the sea. They were known for their highly intellectual society and art based culture. It is said that the ancient egyptians are decedents of these people. I enjoy reading and learning about ancient cultures and the myths they passed down through generations.

Anunaki 1,2,3

The Anunnaki (also transcribed as: Anunna,Anunnaku, Ananaki and other variations) are a group of deities in ancient Mesopotamian cultures (Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian). The Anunnaki are the Sumerian deities of the old primordial line; they are chthonic deities of fertility, associated eventually with the underworld, where they became judges. In many other cultures there are stories that are similar where they use the same plots to the stories but just change the names of the individuals involved. The more we venture into the future I feel like its important that we review the past to be progressive and avoid repeating the same mistakes. I think these entities existed and changed the events in history by guiding us subtly and watching from a distance. I will be working on some new pieces regarding the Egyptians,Myans, and Incans.

"Mother Nature" by Sherwin Long

Acrylic painting on wood

12"x12"

This painting is about "Gaia" mother earth whistling to the birds secrets through the wind. I like to paint the things I see in my mind when I read stories. Art is a type of meditation for me that allows me to escape the disappointments and limitations of reality. I think creative thinking is the secret to evolution if we harness it.

"Great Balls of Fire" by Sherwin Long

Acrylic painting on canvas 

size:8"x11.5"

This painting is about me and my addiction to candy. I am sleep walking to the gum ball machine and using my super powers to melt it and eat all the candy. I painted several layers on the canvas then scraped some off in certain areas and thats how I created the texture. I painted the gum ball machine then the flame pattern after. I really like this painting because it is a metaphor.

Yemi-ya by Sherwin Long

medium: graphite

size: 9"x13"

Yemi-ya is the goddess of the living Ocean, considered the mother of all. She is the source of all the waters, including the rivers of western Africa, especially the River Ogun.

Her name is a contraction of Yey Omo Eja, which means "Mother Whose Children are the Fish."As all life is thought to have begun in the sea, all life is held to have begun with Yemi-ya. She is motherly and strongly protective,she is said to be able to cure infertility in women,and cowrie shells represent her wealth.She does not easily lose Her temper, but when angered She can be quite destructive and violent, as the sea in a storm.

Yemi-ya was brought to the New World with the African diaspora and She is now worshipped in many cultures besides her original Africa. In Brazilian Candomblé, where She is known as Yemanja or Imanje, She is the Sea Mother who brings fish to the fishermen, and the crescent moon is her sign. 

As Yemanja Afodo, also of Brazil, She protects boats traveling on the sea and grants safe passage. 

I chose to portray her with a mural pattern that represents weather and the sea. Her mask has sun rays coming from the side and help to add some mystique. I drew this freehand on watercolor paper using mechanical pencil. It took me about a week because I was working on many projects. For the next version I will paint it and experiment with the background.

"The Dream Chaser" by Sherwin Long

medium: charcoal, ink pen, and marker

size: 3ft x 6ft 

This drawing was one of my favorite things I have done because it pushed me to work to a level that I never have. I always limit myself in how much time I give myself to work on something. This drawing represents my journey to becoming who I am today. The children on the left represent see no evil, hear no evil, think no evil. The angel represents blind faith and hope. The elephant is my spirit animal/totem. The car represents my fire burning passion and classic style. I just wanted to pay homage to those people I look up to, All these people  inspired me and others are my temptation. I enjoy drawing things that are metaphorical because they allow me to say all the things I feel in a subtle way. 

"Malcolm X" by Sherwin Long

medium: Acrylic

on illustration board

size: 12.5"x 15.5"

I enjoy being expressive and spontaneous. It allows me to recreate myself and be a completely new person to roam free in my own universe where the colors and emotions are one. Where frequency and sound resonate on a spectrum in different forms of energy. It may seem strange at first but the more you master something or concentrate and focus you reach a state of consciousness that allows you to become more intuitive. I decided to paint Malcolm X because he allows has such an intensity that is hard to capture in just one image, so I decided to represent him as a form of energy. An explosive rebel. I chose to paint his glasses and ring with a metallic paint because I liked the luster it gives from certain angles and lighting situations. My inner child jumped up and down because this painting was like going to the playground during recess after taking a hard test. I have been so busy doing so much serious assignments that I sometimes forget to paint for fun and be a kid again. I always thank God for blessing me with a way to let out my stress and emotions in such a creative way.

"The Haunted Wall" By Sherwin Long

medium:graphite
size: 14"x17"
on Bristol Paper

This drawing was hard but was fun to do. This is exactly how I saw it in my head, its rare that I draw something the way I envision it in my mind.  The concept behind this image is a person is soul is trapped on the wall because he tagged the forbidden wall. Now he is a warning sign to all those who dare to try. In this drawing I decided to use my line work to my advantage and create a sense of depth in a dimension of my own.. This is a drawing from my graphic novel that I am working on. It is at the beginning when one of the main antagonist is introduced, the character on the wall, his name is knamelis (nameless). I though it would be interesting to create my own world with a great narrative to drive the imagery. In all my artwork my lifework tells a story of its own, and allows me to show how vast my imagination is. This is my first Thesis Project drawing and I wanted to show a little of what I can do when inspired by a narrative.