By Adefoyeke Ajao

When most people think about art, they think of all things colourful, but Jacqueline Suowari’s pen ink and acrylic portraits confute the notion that monochrome figures can be less captivating than their colourful counterparts.

Born in 1990, Suowari is a graduate of University of Port Harcourt, where she majored in painting. However, with a repertoire that features black ballpoint pens and acrylic paint, she currently identifies herself as “a fulltime draughtswoman and mixed media artist”.

In “Unchained”, a series of portraits made with pen ink and acrylic paint, each artwork is a visual expression of emotions and experiences. Suowari’s fascination with the human form as well as its capacity to act as a conduit of expression immediately becomes apparent. Her monochrome characters are prominently situated within bursts of colour, and she skirts a variety of themes ranging from contemplative to jaunty, with characters that are generations and experiences apart. The black ink drawings are focal to these masterpieces, while their colourful surroundings elevate them to prominence. Suowari also uses a variety of shading techniques to accentuate and give volume to the human forms within each piece.

Suowari’s incredible talent as a master of her craft is manifested in her ability to create captivating pieces centred on her penned characters. She deftly navigates the difficulties involved in making large drawings – especially the problem of drawing to scale. It’s remarkable that, with pen ink, she is able to create a variety of effects and effortlessly achieve the most intricate detail in her work.

Some artists favour the ballpoint pen because it is a readily available medium for making quick sketches, but Suowari’s pieces are beyond quick sketches, with each one taking months to complete as well as consuming between 6 and 11 pens. Suowari has not only carved a niche for herself as a draughtswoman, she has also mastered the art of creating spellbinding artworks with ink and acrylic.

To know more about Jacqueline Suowari’s work, visit her Art635 page or her Instagram profile @jacquelinesuowari.

To read more about her please visit her Art635 Artist page