Steve Tandy - New Collection

This piece took inspiration from both the city of New York and one of its most famous inhabitants, JAY-Z. The title of the painting comes from an inspirational line in the chorus of his song about New York; “Empire State of Mind”; “New York, Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, There’s nothin’ you can’t do, Now you’re in NewYork”. The Jaguar climbing the lamppost is a depiction of JAY-Z’s journey from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the top of the music industry, where he now lives the high life around the extremely affluent streets of Midtown Manhattan. Within the painting there are also subtle hints towards the impacts of deforestation on the habitat of wild animals such as the Jaguar and what the future now holds for these magnificent animals. But he’s not the only jaguar in town, as a closer look at the background will show…