6ix God

Grade 12 RAP Visual Art

16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas

This is a piece I did using acrylic on a canvas. Before starting, I wanted to paint a celebrity that has truly inspired me and has impacted me in a positive way. I decided to paint Drake since I not only love his music (it is a mixture between rap and pop) but I also love how humble he is in terms of his achievements and what he has done in his career. However, to make it more creative, I wanted to make him into an icon. Drake is recognized as the "6ix God" (the title given to him because of his efforts of putting Toronto on the map because of his music and success). Thus, I wanted to base my painting on the Icon style (used in Orthodox and Catholic artwork) and incorporate his portrait in this idea. The composition is like a typical icon (front facing figure with a halo in the background, while doing some sort of hand gesture and/or holding something symbolic). Since Drake is known to be a very successful artist, I decided to make him hold a Grammy in his hand to demonstrate the success he has had in the music industry. I wanted to paint him doing the "6" hand gesture since he is known to do this often and it enhances my intention with the artwork. Overall I love how this turned our and hopefully in the future I can get some recognition online/in person by Drake himself.