I Remember You Was Conflicted

Enjoy my 2-minute cut of the process of me making my most recent Kendrick Lamar portrait entitled, "I Remember You Was Conflicted".

The title comes from the poem Kendrick reads repeatedly through the album "To Pimp A Butterfly". I was inspired by the symbolism and detail Kendrick had in his songs, brought to my attention by the beautifully crafted podcast, Dissect(S1). I wanted this painting to also hold that strong symbolism, focusing on Kendrick's inner duality fighting between his life in Compton, and his new life in Hollywood.

The symbolism and references in "To Pimp A Butterfly" are so dense that this project was overwhelming to plan for. I went into it knowing I wouldn't be able to show as much symbolism as I would have liked. I relied heavily on resources out in the world; magazines, coupon books, newsprint; I really do like that 'luck of the draw' feeling when using collected magazine clippings.

This painting was a really fun process! I don't usually post time-lapse videos before the final one but I enjoyed posting my process to Instagram and hearing all your feedback. Even when the face didn't look exactly like Kendrick, you all stuck in there with supportive comments.


So, who should my next subject be?