Artist bio

I'm a Modern Contemporary Artist, who's cryptic symbology, “Where’s Waldo”-esque imagery, visually & subconsciously-stimulating messages illuminate your mind, both figuratively...and literally - it glows (under black light.) Quill was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1994 to a Irish family of nine. His family moved to Manalapan, NJ where he learned to doodle in class. Quill managed to get by despite his habitual penmanship & went on to study at Rutgers New Brunswick, receiving a B.S. in Journalism & Media Studies, where he took classes at Mason Gross School of Arts. Quill was first commissioned to paint a large mural for Rutgers 250th Commencement, but after he wouldn’t paint again until 2018 when a supernatural string of dreams inspired him to pick up the paint brush again. His first ever commission after this awakening was for Grammy-Award winning artist, Charlie Puth. During Quill's hiatus from art in 2016, he switched his focus to music, where he was selected with his sister to perform on stage with Grammy-Award winner Kelly Clarkson during her Piece-by-Piece tour. Quill's mission is to spread Peace, Love & Positivity to all people through his art. You can find an image of Quill as well as his motto in every piece he creates. Quill is just me 🙂 But I'll add some personal notes... My real name is Brian Nealon, but I use the moniker "Quill" after some really crazy dreams I had. They included symbols of Christ I never saw before, some premonitions of things that came true, etc. It was strange, but now I include some of the elements from my 'week of dreams' into all of my pieces as well. My 'Peace, love & positivity' motto comes from moments of my past & the person I strive to be. When I was younger I only made art for other people I felt needed it. I never much liked to paint or draw but I always felt the need to draw a picture of Jesus or angels or anything really for people that I saw in pain. I always saw their eyes light up which fueled my art production. Years later as ran into some of those people again, they always said thank you & how much it brought them peace. I wasted so many years because I hated to make art. Those crazy dreams I mentioned showed me a future of what my art can do for the world...I paint as "Quill" so that I can inspire, and spread 'Peace Love & Positivity.' Since the dreams in 2018, I've felt fulfilled whenever I paint, knowing it's impacting people. That smile people give after seeing a painting I made for them is priceless - I now live for that.

Title

What is Love?

Medium/Genre

Painting

Artist Statement

I paint using a mix of paint markers & traditional acrylic & oil paint. I use both acrylic and oil paint ...purposely - when viewing, light affects the painting - which gives a viewer two unique perspectives - messages either pop out or disappear depending on the angle you view it. I also paint with invisible ink, when a blue light is shown on the piece a whole new image appears on the canvas.

Like "Where's Waldo," I hide a ton of imagery, symbolism, and hidden messages (in numerous languages & in secret code). A minimum of 50 hours of research goes into each piece so that I may truly tell a story with it and I have to map it all out in my head before I begin.

How it fits into contest

I used this quote, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" to show in my piece. What is the only thing that can conquer flesh & blood? Love. What is love? God.

The piece is called 'What is Love?' because as 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love." The piece shows the irony of what we believe as a society "love" means & what True Love really means. Also, what is sin? Sin is an action you make devoid of love. Therefore, I painted the Spiritual Battle found in Ephesians, which is essentially the human battle between Love & the choice to act without it.

You'll notice Bonnie & Clyde at the top of the painting upside down - we idolize stories in society but we have it all backwards. You'll notice a rose piercing thorns of Romeo & Juliet's hands, drawing blood - like rain. There is an umbrella covering a couple - this couple symbolizes True Love & shows that if love is pure, you will be protected from the forces of evil, rulers of the world and satan. Hence, you'll also notice this couple is standing above a pile of weapons.

The piece also highlights the 5 love languages - you'll see this by looking at the middle right & connected puzzle pieces. Blessed mother is hovering over the rose, holding the hands of the couple whose fingers are pricked by thorns....this is to show that no matter how much wrong you do, how much sin, there is always mercy, forgiveness & the ability to come back to the light. She is always with you, praying to her son Jesus Christ for your sins. "John 3:16" is also hidden throughout.

In invisible ink, the Full Armour of God is seen as well as it's prayer. Love is the answer, God is love. This is what 'What is Love?' is all about. There is a ton more hidden messages in the painting, but these are a couple of my main symbols.

Credits

Brian Nealon (Quill) - painter

How to Purchase this Artwork

This is an original work - this piece is worth $3,500.
If you want to purchase, please contact me at quill@whoisquill.com.

Other Goods & Services Available from this Artist

Direct Commissions:
Custom commission with up to 10 symbols - $2500
Custom commission with up to 20 symbols - $3000

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