How Amar Stewart, Hip-Hop Painter and Cancer Survivor, Spends His Sundays

Three years ago, the British-born painter Amar Stewart, who has portrayed hip-hop artists dressed as 17th-century aristocrats, battled Stage 4 skin cancer. He lost part of his tongue, 11 teeth and lymph nodes in the process. He’s had operations since then to be able to speak again, while continuing to work full time as a painter.

Mr. Stewart is currently the artist in residence at the Freehold, a gastro pub and lounge in Williamsburg, where paintings are on display that he worked on when he had cancer. “They show different stages of my emotions,” he said. Mr. Stewart, 34, lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with his black cat, Ella, and a roommate, Matthew Carbognin, 25, who works in international sales.

EARLIER THAN USUAL Most people sleep in on Sundays. I wake up earlier than my usual 10:30 and make myself get out of bed at 9. I have lots of housework to do today, but I also want to make sure that I have enough time to paint, so I push myself to get up. I’m British so I can’t start my day without a big cup of PG Tips tea, which I’ve been drinking since I was a kid.

KALE IS EVEN DELICIOUS Tea in, I whip out my NutriBullet and make a green juice with spinach, kale, turmeric and different berries. I never juiced or was into healthy eating until I got cancer, but I learned about the power of superfoods and following a good diet and have been into juicing ever since. I totally lost my taste buds while I was battling it and feel blessed that they came back. Anything I can eat or drink tastes delicious to me.

CHORES It’s annoying, but I spend at least an hour and a half on Sundays doing all my laundry. I wash my clothes, sheets and towels. Luckily, my building has a laundry room, and in between washing, drying and folding my clothes, I go back to my apartment and multitask by cleaning the living room, bathroom and my bedroom.

STUDIO SESSION A lot of artists work from home, but I like the idea of having a studio where I’m only surrounded by my art and have no other distractions. I found a great little space in an artist’s loft that’s just a 10-minute walk from my apartment. I’ll head there midday and immerse myself in painting for at least for a few hours. So much of my work is inspired by hip-hop music so I always have hip-hop playing in the background. Maybe something by J Dilla, Biggie, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Kiefer or Madlib.

SANDWICH BREAK Somewhere around 2:30, I’ll get hungry and get some sort of food. There’s this great place called Hana Natural where I’ll pick up a sandwich, usually chicken with avocado, tomatoes, onions and lettuce or a tuna melt. The avocado is another healthy food I added to my diet after cancer.

THE ZONE With my stomach full, I’m back at my canvas. Normally I paint late into the night, but on Sundays, I’ll leave my evenings free to meet up with friends and wrap up by early evening. The thing about my art is that hours go by without me even realizing it. I just get into a zone, kind of like meditation, but with loud hip-hop playing.

BEER WITH FRIENDS Somewhere around 6, I’ll hop on the subway and head to Freehold to see my friends. A lot of them are also artists, and we’re all a tight community. Whoever is around shows up, and we’ll all order beers, sit around and catch up. I love a good beer but don’t drink as much as I used to before I got sick. I can’t give it up entirely though. What fun would that be? The other guys might order fries or burgers, but I avoid eating in public. The way I eat since I lost my teeth and tongue is different. I can chew but may have to use my hands to move the food in my mouth. It looks odd to anyone, and I’m embarrassed about doing it in front of others, even my friends. I am trying to get more comfortable with it though.

CHILL WITH ELLA When I’m back home sometime after 8, I’ll chill out on the couch and cuddle with Ella. Eventually, I’ll make some spaghetti with Bolognese sauce for dinner. I may also sauté some spinach and have some juice that’s leftover from the morning. After eating, I’ll turn on Netflix or Hulu and watch a show or a movie. I’m into British shows like this laugh-out-loud comedy called “Peep Show.” Around 1 a.m., I’ll make my way into my bedroom and go to sleep.