Imagine Love: Show Me Love (work of art)

Artwork Info

Created
2022
Artist
JP Jermaine Powell
Nationality
American
Birth/Death
born 1977-
Dimensions
144 1/4 × 301 ¾ inches (366.4 × 766.4 centimeters)
Medium
Acrylic; oil; epoxy resin; paper; and jeweled adornments, Mixed Media

Credit

Courtesy of the artist

Culture
American North Carolina

Key Ideas

  • This mixed media installation is made up of bright imagery, epoxy resin, and jeweled decorations.
  • The artist, Jermaine Powell, explores themes of love, family relationships, and nature in his work. This work features portraits of the artist’s mother, wife, and children. These are the people he associates with his memories of love.
  • This work invites viewers to think about their own experiences of love and family relationships. It was inspired by several works in the NCMA People’s Collection that depict families. 

Learn More

Jermaine Powell is a mixed media artist and muralist (mural painter) who lives in North Carolina. He says he sees his art as storytelling, and many of his works are inspired by his personal experiences. Powell describes himself as a public artist who creates interactive artworks for people to experience. His work explores themes of family relationships, nature, balance, and women’s issues.

Imagine Love: Show Me Love is a mixed media art installation. It consists of three individual paintings that are displayed on top of a digitally printed backdrop. The paintings are made up of bright imagery, epoxy resin, and jeweled decorations. The three paintings depict members of Powell’s family. They are portraits of his mother, his wife, and his children. This work explores themes of family and community relationships. Powell used his personal experiences of love to inspire this artwork. He says he hopes this work encourages viewers to explore their own memories of love and what love means to each of us.

I’ve experienced the concept of love in so many ways throughout my life, and this work is about the people and things that created the man, father, and artist I am today: my mother, my wife, my children, and nature.

Jermaine Powell

This art installation was inspired by several works in the NCMA People’s Collection. These include the 17th-century Dutch Portrait of a Woman by Gerrit van Honthorst and Toy Pieta by Scott Avett. Powell says that Imagine Love: Show Me Love explores portraiture and the ways in which families are represented in art. This work also features images of birds that live in North Carolina. One of Powell’s favorite hobbies is birdwatching. 

Additional Resources

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Images

  • Three brightly colored portraits against an abstract backdrop. The portrait on the left depicts an older woman wearing glasses. The middle portrait depicts a mother and young son. The portrait on the right depicts a young girl. The paintings have a shiny surface and jeweled decoration. The backdrop is multicolored and features the profile of a woman’s head in blue. It also features images of four abstract tree branches, with birds sitting on them and birds in flight. The artist, Jermaine Powell, stands in front of his work wearing a green sweater.

    Imagine Love: Show Me Love

  • Three brightly colored portraits against an abstract backdrop. The portrait on the left depicts an older woman wearing glasses. The middle portrait depicts a mother and young son. The portrait on the right depicts a young girl. The paintings have a shiny surface and jeweled decoration. The backdrop is multicolored and features the profile of a woman’s head in blue. It also features images of four abstract tree branches, with birds sitting on them and birds in flight. The artist, Jermaine Powell, stands in front of his work wearing a green sweater.

    Imagine Love: Show Me Love

  • Three brightly colored portraits against an abstract backdrop. The portrait on the left depicts an older woman wearing glasses. The middle portrait depicts a mother and young son. The portrait on the right depicts a young girl. The paintings have a shiny surface and jeweled decoration. The backdrop is multicolored and features the profile of a woman’s head in blue. It also features images of four abstract tree branches, with birds sitting on them and birds in flight. The artist, Jermaine Powell, stands in front of his work wearing a green sweater.

    Imagine Love: Show Me Love

  • Three brightly colored portraits against an abstract backdrop. The portrait on the left depicts an older woman wearing glasses. The middle portrait depicts a mother and young son. The portrait on the right depicts a young girl. The paintings have a shiny surface and jeweled decoration. The backdrop is multicolored and features the profile of a woman’s head in blue. It also features images of four abstract tree branches, with birds sitting on them and birds in flight. The artist, Jermaine Powell, stands in front of his work wearing a green sweater.

    Imagine Love: Show Me Love

  • Three brightly colored portraits against an abstract backdrop. The portrait on the left depicts an older woman wearing glasses. The middle portrait depicts a mother and young son. The portrait on the right depicts a young girl. The paintings have a shiny surface and jeweled decoration. The backdrop is multicolored and features the profile of a woman’s head in blue. It also features images of four abstract tree branches, with birds sitting on them and birds in flight. The artist, Jermaine Powell, stands in front of his work wearing a green sweater.

    Imagine Love: Show Me Love

  • Three brightly colored portraits against an abstract backdrop. The portrait on the left depicts an older woman wearing glasses. The middle portrait depicts a mother and young son. The portrait on the right depicts a young girl. The paintings have a shiny surface and jeweled decoration. The backdrop is multicolored and features the profile of a woman’s head in blue. It also features images of four abstract tree branches, with birds sitting on them and birds in flight. The artist, Jermaine Powell, stands in front of his work wearing a green sweater.

    Imagine Love: Show Me Love

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