Brandon Hawkins

Artist Statement:

The painting is a depiction of the Archangel Michael defeating the devil and locking him up for one thousand years as mentioned in the Bible (Revelation 20:1-3). The original image was painted by Italian artist Guido Reni in 1635. His depiction of the blonde-haired, fair-skinned angel is an example of the European need to assert “divine” dominance in all realms of culture. Paintings and on-screen depictions of a white Jesus plant subliminal seeds of divine supremacy. It is time for people of color to wake up and realize our divine connection to God’s Kingdom. Revelation of God’s purpose for us is the answer to generational oppression and white supremacy. Once we as Black people realize who we are and “whose” we are, we can begin to reverse the effects of racism, discrimination, and bigotry. Revelation is not about tearing down the oppressor. It is about coming to the realization that we must tear down the way the oppressor taught us to think in order to be successful in God’s plan for our lives.

Bio:

Brandon “Illzotic” Hawkins is a visual artist and instructor with over 20 years of experience. Brandon earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Arts & Sciences in African and African American Studies and a certificate in Fine Arts from DAAP. Infusing his love for history and art, Brandon created his own “Illzotic” technique for art and design. In January 2016, Brandon and his wife launched their mobile company Soul Palette, offering customizable painting experiences. Brandon has worked with Artworks as a project manager and teaching artist on several projects. Brandon is the Visual Arts Instructor at Elementz and a teaching artist with WordPlay and the Cincinnati Art Association’s Artist In Healing. Brandon’s ultimate mission and dream is to bless others with his talent for painting and arts.

@soulpaletteart