…an ode to my long-lost, youthful imagination
Sun-kissed (series)
I was always intrigued by ancient mythology, whether that be Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Yoruba, Japanese, etc. Many of these cultures have a healthy admiration and respect for the sun. It can energize you and drain you. There's a duality. As children, my cousins and I tried our best to stay outside playing all day. At a certain point, we always heard, "Yall come out of that heat and sit down somewhere!" This series is callback to those times.
Title: Hema Series: Sun-kissed Dimensions: 16”x20” Medium: acrylic paint on canvas
Rest, Child (series)
I have a great admiration for women in general, but more specifically, the women who have helped to shape and affect my life. I have a host of aunts who helped to raise me and teach me, along with my mom, of course. As men, it can be difficult for us to grasp and understand how life is uniquely different for women. Oftentimes, they are the primary nurturers, caretakers and teachers at home and in society, in general. As an adult, I understand the sacrifices, struggles and exhaustion. This is captured in the way that I approached this series. My technique in this series is specifically tailored to those concepts. After playing all day, my grandmother, along with many elders I know, used to tell us, "Rest, child". I now know how powerful and meaningful those two words were.
Title: 6AM Series: Rest, Child Dimensions: 16”x20” Medium: acrylic paint on canvas
Retro Cotton Nostalgia Grenade (series)
Anime has always been and still is one of my favorite things to watch and is a huge source of inspiration. The animation style of the 90's has the best look and feel to me. It has that grainy, smokey jazz club feel too it. Whenever I watch a show from that era, I experience this blast of nostalgia. Then I get inspired to create with a combination of soft pastel-like colors contrasted with deep, heavy colors.
Title: Study 1 Series: Retro Cotton Nostalgia Grenade Dimensions: 18”x24” Medium: acrylic paint on canvas
At Ventura (Series)
Back in my hometown we had a very popular night club. If you live within a certain distance from downtown, you could hear the music playing. As a kid, whenever I stayed late at my grandmother's house I could hear it. I remember the basslines off in the distance sounding muggy and drowned out. On Sunday nights in particular, there was a DJ called Sweet Tan Love, whose set doubled as a radio show. I vividly remember him shouting out his name as each word echoed, "SWEET-sweet-sweet... TAN-tan-tan.. LOVE-love-love." As a small kid I always imagined what that experience was like in the night club. So, this is a series inspired by some of my youngest, curious memories. Welcome to Ventura!
Title: Ladies Night Series: At Ventura Dimensions: 12”x36” (set of 3) Medium: acrylic paint on canvas