When art doesn’t inspire me to be better it becomes completely irrelevant. I can’t say that though about my latest Artist Addiction, Olivia “ilLLESTration” Odiwe. The 23 year old, North London based artist is really one to watch. iLLESTration’s artwork mixes graffiti with wild brush strokes and even illusion to create portraits, which come together as if out of thin air. When you look at them its hard to pinpoint where they start and finish. I can look at them for hours because of the way she dissects the faces she paints and then puts them back together in her own unique way. The fluid nature of @iLLESTration_ portraits is what makes them so successful, they are an exploration of colour. Though there is a pop culture theme throughout her work, she isn’t bound by any one particular style or genre. She instinctively knows how a image speaks to her and is able to interpret the vibe on canvas.

The world has been mourning the loss of Nelson Mandela so I was thought, what is Mandela’s legacy? I mean when I think about him in his latter days, I usually think of some celebrity/politician/public figure photographed with him. But he was more than some sort of mascot that celebrities used to verify themselves. He was a simple man who just stood for what he believed in and was prepared to die for those beliefs. Mandela was supposed to die a long and painful death in prison but he didn’t. He emerged from 27 years locked up in prison, old and worn down but still fiercely determined. He showed the world that forgiveness really does make you free, in every way. This I feel is Nelson Mandela’s biggest lesson and gift to the world, the power of forgiveness, It points back to Jesus for me. Forgiving those who hurt us continually, if we all did that for one day just think what the next 24 hours would be like.