Artists have a variety of methods to make their mark. Every Friday we will share a photograph of an #ArtistInAction. Raqib Shaw’s work is ornate, a dense combination of enamel painted figures studded with jewels and surreal imagery. Shaw, who was born in Kolkata in 1974, grew into an artist surrounded by the opulent rugs and jewelry his family sold in India, combined with an arts education in London that left his work peppered with references to artists like Hieronymus Bosch and to japanese lacquer boxes. Every painting teems with vibrantly violent and erotic imagery, where composite creatures and lush architecture swirl around one another. From afar, his work appears highly decorative, pattern and color blending effortlessly. Up close, each image begins to form a fantastic narrative, grounding his characteristically decadent imagery with figures full of emotion. #RaqibShaw Image: Raqib Shaw painting. Photo by James Mollison for W Magazine.