by Nino Malong, DHS Chief Artist Officer
I received word last Thursday that Prince had died. I refused to believe it. To say that this affects me immensely is an understatement. In my grief I wanted to find a way to honor the man that had the most profound influence in my journey as an artist. If it were not for him, I don't know if I would have been the artist that I am now. He taught me to be fearless in my art and to hold myself and my art to a high standard. Once a piece is done, I move on to the next one. It is bittersweet but I hear the next one calling.
So it went with the piece I called, "Habibi, the Rebel Angel." That was the name of his iconic guitar. I thought if I could capture the spirit of Prince and Habibi together, what would that look like to me? Beautiful with a hint of rebellion and recklessness.
Prince and Habibi
It's one of those pieces where it was a joy to work on, but I had to stop at times because the pain of loss was too much. A good friend of mine (and a hell of a songwriter), Jason Michael Greene, said to just let it go and see what happens. I started and only stopped when the painting itself said it was time. So I gave it to the world. Saying goodbye in the best way I can. Thank you Prince. I'll stop now and let the art speak for itself.
I think he would've agreed.
Nino has submitted this work for inclusion in Heavy Metal Magazine. VOTE FOR NINO.