· ABOUT ME

Charcoal is dark, dry and messy while watercolor paint is light, wet and airy. The contrast between these two mediums serve as the backdrop for my portraits. I was born and grew up in The Bronx, lived in Harlem for almost six years and currently reside in Jersey City. Living in the New York City area my entire life has heavily influenced my love for diversity, culture, spirituality and art that speaks to the context of the times and locality. I strive to represent people of African American, Caribbean and Latinx descent not just because they are closest to my own roots but because they’ve traditionally been under-represented in the arts. Just as artists past have portrayed other figures in rich narrative portraits, I want to show that people of color too can be framed with a vibrance that gives light their own personalities and stories. I currently work in Exhibition Design at a museum while making my art pieces. I also have a passion for public art, a love for street art and making art accessible to all.

Since I was young I’ve always wanted to know the stories of my family, where our roots lay, the challenges they faced and the victories that made it possible for me to be standing where I am right now. Unfortunately, family histories often fade into obscurity, especially when aspects of pain and separation force them to be lost in time. I always felt it was my quest to seek out these forgotten tales. However I’ve learned that we can take the seeds of our personal family experiences and the inspirations that we know to be true to fuel our spirits forward. I have had so many incredibly powerful figures throughout my lifetime that have guided and influenced me. What I once saw as something lost is now something that presents opportunity. With the pieces of stories of the men and women in my present and past, I’m building narratives of their lives captured in portraiture. These portraits are based not just on fact, but on the perspective of my experiences with these influential figures that have touched my life as well as on my own imagination. In this way a lively, powerful, colorful family mythology is being re-created and captured in each piece. Fact and fiction. Symbolism and literalism. Tales of strong black women I saw as real life queens in my everyday life. Stories of dedicated black men who gripped roughened wooden canes that I viewed as role models…

CONTACT ME