This large artwork 1.5 metres x 1.5 metres was commissioned by a young couple, Kat and Kiran, for their newly renovated home. The acrylic painting accurately copies Sheppard’s unique art style which shows the charcoal underdrawings and somewhat roughly painted figures with bold colours and gold leaf that captures the dynamic movements of the characters. In my reimagined version below, in the bottom right-hand corner I have added Zina, Kat and Kiran’s black Labrador, who has a gold name-tag attached to his collar.
This artwork has been SOLD
You can, however, commission your own individually painted interpretation of this artwork. Each work is created by hand and re-imagined for its new owner, making it a unique artwork rather than a reproduction.
Commission price: dependent on size from AUD$10,000 to AUD AUD$25,500
Completion: approximately 12 weeks
To discuss commissioning this artwork, message me.
The original of this artwork titled “‘Round Midnight'” was created by Ferrari Elite Sheppard who was born in Chicago in 1983. He lives and works in LA.
Blurring the lines between abstraction and figuration, the contemporary artist Ferrari Sheppard creates mid to large scale paintings celebrating the humanity of Black people in the Americas and within the diaspora. The Los Angeles based artist was born in Chicago and lived in various cities in Africa. His paintings are influenced by memories and lived experience, evoking a sense of nostalgia.
Sheppard’s approach to figuration heralds a new visual language, with large acrylic, charcoal, and 24k gold on canvas conveying movement and emotion through his confident brushstrokes and distinctive use of color. His abstract practice brings forth irregularities in each work giving the viewer a sense of activity and excitement. Evocative titles are used in a poetic manner to reflect deeper meanings and cultural references. The abstracted figures are created with an intuitive balance between subtle idiosyncrasies and intentional opacity, holding space for the complexity and expansiveness within each individual being.
Sheppard often incorporates gold leaf adding an iconographical effect throughout his work, catching light and accentuating presence within in his work. Sheppard’s paintings are substantial in size, giving room for their subject matter to expand and make a home for the largeness of their narratives and implications.
His artistic style is influenced by Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell. Sheppard is also a member of the hip-hop duo Dec 99th. The duo’s album, December 99th was released in 2016. Sheppard lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Sheppard was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1983.[1] After his family returned to Chicago from New York City, Sheppard pursued his passion for the arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
In 2016, Sheppard returned to painting, marking a significant change in his career. He adopted the canvas as his main medium, producing works characterized by layered textures and vivid colours to convey intricate emotional landscapes. His art combines figurative and abstract elements to address themes such as cultural heritage, memory, and self-actualization. The artwork invites viewers to engage with narratives that are both introspective and broadly relatable.
In May 2025, Sheppard was featured in Vogue Magazine’s Met Gala Issue as part of its Superfine Suiting portfolio, which highlighted artists and cultural figures shaping contemporary aesthetics and identity.