We’ve come to the conclusion of the 2024 Liquitex Just Imagine Residency Program, which recently wrapped up at Manufacturer’s Village in East Orange, NJ, featuring the incredible artist Jakada Khalfani. This year’s residency gave Jakada the opportunity to push creative boundaries and explore new mediums, styles, and larger-scale works.
“The Idea of Wonder”
For Jakada, the residency was all about embracing “the idea of wonder.” He entered the program with a commitment to break free from his usual creative patterns and dive into the unknown. By exploring new techniques and experimenting with different sizes of his artwork, Jakada was able to discover fresh perspectives and approaches to his craft.
His residency was a true celebration of creative freedom, allowing him to challenge himself and grow as an artist.
Empowering Others Through Creativity
Jakada’s work is also about guiding others to connect with their emotions. Through his mentoring practice, he encourages people to understand their feelings, take ownership of their emotional responses, and visualise new possibilities.
His belief in the power of creativity to help others is at the core of his artistic philosophy, and his residency gave him the space to further develop and share this message.
Key Takeaways from the Studio
Reflecting on his time in the studio, Jakada shared some powerful insights for anyone looking to pursue their creative passions:
“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.”
Jakada’s Go-To Liquitex Tools
Throughout his residency, Jakada relied on several Liquitex products to bring his bold visions to life, including Acrylic Gouache, Liquitex Gesso, and Spray Paint.
Watch Jakada in Action
Want to see Jakada’s creative process in action? Watch his journey unfold in this inspiring video: Jakada Khalfani at Liquitex
We are looking forward to seeing how Jakada continues to inspire others. The Just Imagine Residency Program is just one of many ways Liquitex supports artists in their creative journeys – watch this space for the next update.
Great to see Jakada using the biobased Liquitex