He fears his migraines will never go away.

Snakes Pattern created for the To Migraines Collection.

Do you find yourself seeing patterns? Are you losing the light between your eyes? You may find yourself in the same predicament as our resident artist Bhare, as he transforms his ocular migraines into a display of unfiltered creative prowess. After half a decade of pivoting through the art world, he returns to the scene with his upcoming collection to migraines, offering practical remedy to the pulsating fit.

“How do you visualize a migraine — physically, spiritually and/or culturally?l”

It’s hard to say.

Physically?

Imagine a tiny little monkey hitting a drum and/or cymbal. If you’re seeing that toy from the 1930’s with the beady eyes then you’re right on the money with me. I imagine every cymbal hit to be that sharp pulse that rights through with a headache. Though I did recently see that trailer for the horror film for the haunted toy monkey and decided to stray away from using that as my example. I got a bit scared haha.

Spiritually?

The most metaphysical way I can wrap my head around it is through the energy of the migraine. I have a friend named Tjo who visualizes energy in a really unique way—with a specific shade of red that covers the bodies of his subjects as if it were their natural pigment. I’ve loved his approach ever since, and it helped me find my own version of “energy.” I often express that through the heaviness of textures, most clearly seen in my oil pastels.

Culturally?

I automatically think of the things that shaped my childhood, while annoying at times, they definitely helped me grow into the young adult I am now. The headache of mulling over an outfit, making sure there was a coordinated attack on the school’s fashion hierarchy with patterns and colors. Even the ringing in my ears the day after chanting Bad and Boujeewith friends in the student section at football tailgates.

Culturally, I tie migraines to building community. It’s hard—and honestly painful trying to figure out how to connect with people. But at the end of the tunnel, it’s incredibly rewarding to build genuine relationships with people I come to care deeply about.

“What led you to connect migraines with patterns and the Black American community?”

It’s simple really — or at least I think so.

Let me start by explaining a bit about migraines to the best of my ability. When we’re experiencing a fit of them, they’re said to have a type of aura. That often means a visual aura surrounding the headache, creating disturbances in our field of view. These can appear as patterns of light, shimmers, and sometimes even zigzags.

Black Americans hold a lot of salt in their presentation, placing emphasis on beautiful and comforting textiles. In our communities, we often see fabric patterns used in fashion, home decor, and other expressions of aesthetic value—all carrying artistic significance. But this wasn’t always rooted in style. For us specifically, textiles were born out of necessity and preservation. That patterned blanket brought warmth in harsh conditions and sometimes carried symbols that guided those seeking asylum from slavery in the right direction. It became essential to stitch together scraps of fabric to safeguard the stories of our ancestors from Africa and the Caribbean.

In an abstract sense, I’m utilizing patterns to mimic the unending nature of a migraine, while preserving my own stories as a Black American.

An handmade oil pastel paisley pattern by Bhare.

“Are these pattern visual, behavioral, sonic or something else entirely?”

Very visual but,

If we’re talking about the patterns in the paintings, then it’s a huge melting pot of many types—floral, abstract, even pictorial. When it comes to migraines, though, things get a lot more specific. I’m placing a focus on ocular migraines and how these visual disturbances can manifest as patterns. Some of the paintings will lean toward a positive, negative, or perceptual visual aura.

“How do you engage ancestral memory in this project?”

Can I phone my parents for this one?

Honestly, just reach out to them and ask about their time on the island. I grew up in the States and have still only met a mere fraction of my family. Ancestral memory, to me, is something as simple as a fun place my parents used to hang out at or stories from their community, haha. On of my favorites is when my Mother gives me accounts on the sugar cane farm. Often with her aunts and uncles, she would travel down the road, barefoot touching every pebble in the concrete to the plot of land my family had. She held an old beat up machete with a red handle to help chop down sugar cane. It was just sharp enough to hack away at the cane. The best I can do with those accounts is intertwine them into a pattern element within the body of work.

A plot of sugar land fields, Barbados.

“We appreciate your candid thoughts. As we close out, would you leave us with information regarding your collection, to migraines?”

Of course!

To migraines, my latest series, meticulously crafts the visuals of ocular distortions to capture the essence of fleeting memories in ever repeating patterns. A turnabout creation after my past series cold leftovers, I use pastel illustrations to reflect upon the shift in survival and preservation to celebration of one’s own story and livelihood. These patterns are to be honoring my past while introducing a shifty uneasy feeling of infinitely repeating images.

the collection is comprised of 1/1/50 digital paintings. Each is a 1/1 NFT with an accompanying A1 print —— available to the NFT holder at cost. 40 paintings will be available via private acquisition on bhare.art, starting June 9th, 2025. The last remains 10 will be available via public acquisition in 24hr auctions on bhare.art, starting June 12th, 2025.

Medallions, from the to migraines collection.

About the Artist

Shareon “Bhare” Blenman is a multidisciplinary artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Born in 1998 to Barbadian immigrant parents, Bhare initially pursued a career as a chef before transitioning into the art world. His diverse practice encompasses traditional canvas work, digital oil paintings, sculptures, and even ventures into skateboarding design.

Bhare earned his undergraduate degree from Johnson & Wales University, balancing various creative jobs during the early stages of the global lockdown. By the age of 23, his work had already been showcased in traditional and digital galleries across North America and Europe. He has exhibited in more than three professional galleries and sold over 30 pieces in his debut year.

Now at 26, Bhare has been featured extensively in a magazine, completed a 40-foot commission for the Spectrum Center, and even had his work sold through Sotheby’s.

Bhare currently lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina. He merges his work through both traditional and digital styles, exhibiting with prestigious galleries in New York, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, Copenhagen and most recently Toronto.