I first discovered J.Cole in 2011 and fell in love with his nostalgic instrumentals and velvety flow. When I conceptualized this piece, I wanted to showcase how epic his growth was using a palette that was inspired by how his music made me feel. This was one of the hardest compositions to resolve because it was my first “double portrait” where I used two images of Cole. I was able to use a double exposure effect to fit the cover of Forest Hills Drive into a powerful side profile portrait of the legend - representing his “heart” and “mind”. I used dogwood flowers to mask his faces since they’re the state flower of North Carolina and speak to where he discovered his love for music.
JXRMXINE

Who is Nashid Chroma?
Nashid Chroma is a Toronto-Based Digital Pop Artist and his work explores the threshold between the Iconic and the Anonymous.
The compositions and visual motifs are inspired by each icon’s upbringing, influences, or the emotions that they evoke from their performances. Floral and geometric adornments are loaded with meaning to humanize the person in question, but they also visually abstract the portraits to feel disconnected and object-like.
Finally, Nashid uses bright saturated colour as an aesthetic anchor to bind his body of work into a cohesive collection. Chroma refers to the colourfulness of something and he continuously explores new ways to push the boundaries of colour in every new work he produces