"This painting is inspired by the poem ‘Equipment’ by Edgar A. Guest: 'Figure it out for yourself, my lad. You've all that the greatest of men have had, two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes, and a brain to use if you would be wise. With this equipment they all began, so start for the top and say, ‘I can.''
For me, the poem embodies the idea of self-reliance and strength from within, although simply written I find the affirmations to be motivating in the way that my creativity comes from inside of me and not constantly relying on external factors. As the first verse alludes to numerous body parts I have focused on the hands and arms of the character which are enlarged in a slightly surreal way.
Hands are an artist’s main tool in creation, especially if you are a painter like myself and like the poem, these hands only work when guided by the brain and the eye.
In this artwork, the ambiguity of the silhouette is important as I was not sure if this work would end up being a self-portrait or if the silhouette represents a wider range of subjects." - Navel Seakamel, 2021.
