This piece is inspired directly by Sade’s song “Cherish the Day”

Being my first time working with leather paints, this piece was exciting to work on. Angelus brand leather acrylic paints are impressively smooth and opaque, needing only one layer for the white to contrast the black leather. I mixed a drop of their “duller” medium to flatten the paint’s sheen to match that of the leather.

As for my choice of words, this song and its simple request resonates with my experience of riding motorcycles. Given none of us are entitled to a long life I have a consistent reckoning with the risk to consequence ratio of riding a motorcycle. Despite that potential energy, I chose to ride mindfully and cherish the day that is, knowing I am not guaranteed any more than what I’ve experienced so far. From that place, this particular moment becomes priceless.