Oil painting using a scratchboard technique of Nina Simone.

Mississippi Water was created on the news of the water situation in Jackson, Mississippi. I found some old water-soluble oil paints in the shoebox of traditional mediums and tried a technique I like using with watercolor paint. Specifically, gouache paint. However, I wanted to scratch my way into an image using an exacto knife and an etching needle similar to a scratchboard. The image is only 6 x 8 inches on a cold press illustration board. It held up exceptionally well. Since I am a big fan of Nina Simone,  I decided to use her as subject matter along with the title of one of her songs. With the foul water in Jackson, MS, I decided to revisit the song’s purpose and add this crisis to other past issues. I enjoyed the process and was pleased with the texture.