Location: Ghana
Richard Darko, known as Juelz Tintin, is a prolific artist from Accra, Ghana. His work is admired for its clarity of expressively executed emotion with aesthetic concept. Presently working on portraiture projects, he has produced roughly 500 artworks, predominantly in a realist style either in dry, wet or mixed-media. Apart from the pencil portrait works, his portfolio include abstract expressionisms, landscapes, murals, graffiti and creative illustration works.
He obtained an HND in Commercial Art (painting) at Takoradi Technical University and a bachelor’s degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of science and technology where he studied sociology.
He has exhibited in institutions such as British Council Kumasi (2015), Museum for Science and Technology (Accra), West Hills Mall (2016), Ghana International School (2017), kingscourt International School (2018), Brainbirds Academy (2019), Bosphorus Restaurant & Café (live demo) and also participated in the Keteke Art fair at Accra Mall (2017).
Juelz Tintin has been featured on numerous social media platforms such as Ghanaian_Artists on instagram as part of the top nine artists in Ghana (2017), Ghana post, unconditioned roots, breastfeeding art, Art and about Africa, graffiti_legendz, Africa dope daily, iloveghana, Africanism and others. And his passion for two-dimensionally exhibiting his artistic skills created an opportunity for him to work for prominent people like Samia Nkrumah, Sir Sam Jonah, H.E. Ambassador D.K Osei, Hon. Ato Panford, Hon Momodu Maligi, H.E. Niyi Ojuolape, Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor, Sammy Awuku, Jackie Appiah, Frank Acheampong, Kofi Kinaata, Tinny and brands like BBNZ, Aftown music, Food yard, kempinski hotel.
He uses charcoal pencil, pen, felt pen, pastel, colour pencil, acrylic and oil painting in his works. However, he has acknowledged that chalk pastel is his ideal medium to work with, as displayed ostentatiously in one of his best-known works. The work in question is entitled “Emotions in Abundance”, a chalk pastel painting which he worked on for six (6) months. The work portrays a baby feeding from the mother’s breast. He employed bold linear strokes and blended colours that created a sensitive, substantive form in the work.
To Juelz Tintin, “Art is the outward expression of the inner feeling, best justified by the creator”.