Ferrari Sheppard's vigorous mark-making within his works, blurs the lines between representation and abstraction, resulting in a hybridized ecosystem. Anansi  (2021) is a fantastic example of Sheppard blurring the viewers' perception of figurative and abstract gestures. Anansi is the 'God of stories' that comes from the Ashanti tradition, it also is a subtle nod to Sheppard's matriarchal Ethiopian heritage and celebrates the spirit of the African diaspora. Folk stories activated via a syncopated cadence and tempo have been fundamental components that undergird creative African organizing principles for centuries. The application of this strategy through painting has enabled Sheppard to create a distinct cosmological environment that generates a unique resonance that further articulates his ambition to awaken the consciousness of his viewer through the narratives he creates via his artwork. Anansi  (2021), however is more than just a visual story, it also demonstrates Sheppard's technique of collapsing space between the subject, background, and foreground presenting everything with equal weight within the pictorial plane. By compressing the pictorial plane, Sheppard's work engages the viewer in a deeper discourse that invites them to contemplate the essence of self and the social issues impacting our society.

Cobra calls to mind more of the diaspora’s mythology. Striking a similarly relaxed yet authoritative pose, the figure inCobra directs our eyes both to the 24-karat golden throne and the sharpness of both the lines of Sheppard’s abstract figuration and the subject’s aesthetic. The tassels hang elegantly from an oxblood pant, the foot is positioned to reveal a well-constructed black boot. In the African traditional religion of Vodou, Damballah is the serpent father of the sky and always accompanied by his companion Ayida Wedo, the rainbow. A primordial deity and regarded by some believers to be the first thing created by God, all following creation commenced via Damballah as emissary. Shedding the serpent skin, Damballah created all the waters on the earth. Damballah, the serpent, he moves between land and water, giving it life, and through the earth, uniting the land with the waters below. In Cobra we see this marrying of energies, a continued syncretism of mythologies, as the throne sits against an almost wave like kalunga line, or snakeskin.

Blurring the lines between abstraction and figuration, 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.