Meet Liquitex resident Jakada Khalfani, a US based mixed media artist and creative expression mentor, who has recently spent time living and travelling in Angola, Brazil and Nigeria. Jakada incorporates found elements, often using discarded objects or everyday items - from cardboard to crushed pills, shredded paper to silver foil - to underpin the meaning of his work.

Jakada uses his creativity to help people to understand their feelings, take ownership of their emotional responses and visualize new possibilities through his mentoring practice. In his individual art practice, he’s currently exploring the financial structures that run through communities - specifically mass ‘games’ like the lottery. His work looks at how and why the dream of winning is so embedded in society, short cuts to gratification and fantasy futures.

Spurred on by the Liquitex theme of Just Imagine, Jakada approached his residency with “the idea of wonder and just allowing myself to just go at it and explore new mediums, new styles and new sizes of my work.” His intention was to push his Liquitex stocks to their furthest extent. “My favorites have definitely been the Acrylic Gouache. I’ve loved using them from start to finish. I take Liquitex Gesso and add Acrylic Gouache to give it a tint and I use that as my base layer. I use them for detailing, when building layers and building colors to create depth. They’re really bright, very vibrant and just an overall 10 out of 10 product to use.”

Learning from his time in the residency studio? “Don't rush yourself. And have confidence in yourself. You have to have the vision that there's nothing that can stop you, the confidence to apply for residencies, shows, to pitch your paintings, to share your work with the world.”

See more of Jakada’s work here and on Instagram as @chefkhalfani.