I have no idea who he is, yet it's not the first time I have painted him. (Yep, it's a male, don't worry, you're not the first to think he is female!) Whomever it is, there is no doubt that the painting was inspired by time spent in East Africa.
I spend a year working in Tanzania and travelling through East Africa when I was 20. My time there influenced my art practice immensely. It enriched my love of colour as well as my interest in people and culture. Often, I see someone I knew in my completed artwork, their faces come about unintentionally, but there is no mistaking that it is that person. Given that I have painted this person numerous times I have concluded that it must have been someone whom captivated my attention during my time there. He remains an intriguing (and frustrating!) riddle my brain is eager to solve.
The figure was drawn using one continuous line, meaning, I did not take my hand off the canvas. The line drawing took no more than 60seconds. This is a method I employ a lot, it enables me to be freer with my work and discourages me from getting fixated in the smaller detail. Sometimes I even complete the contour drawings with my eyes closed.