As a Black and Queer artist, I believe that my experiences are precious and I aim to convey them with authenticity and candor. There is resistance in being honest about our stories and life’s experiences. To achieve this, my practice is influenced by a series of internal questions, which help guide me in being reflective in my work. I consider the tension between my personal experience and universal experience. The personal is represented by portraiture, places, objects, and specific social interactions. The universal is embodied in abstractions that contain a familiar sentiment, rendering them relatable.
Working within the two distinct aesthetics of the representational and the abstract allows me to create both concrete and imaginative imagery. By placing these separate aesthetics together, I offer some of myself and leave room for the viewer to see themselves in the work.
My work seeks to explore themes of preservation and how I, as an artist, can document and solidify my personal and familial stories. I use a variety of mediums to realize my concepts including, printmaking, textiles, sculpture and ceramics. My use of materials vary as I experiment with different methods of communicating narratives. Woodcut printmaking in particular allows me to talk about current issues as they relate to loss and discontinuity. I choose to use woodcut as my primary and foundational medium particularly when discussing change as it invites the viewer to feel those feelings of loss as well.