Artist Statement

I have always been fascinated by people and the stories of their lives and sensitive to their emotions and inner workings. I am a passionate, self-taught visual artist based in Kansas City, Missouri. I’ve been working primarily with acrylic and oil paint on canvas, digital art and mural work. I create work that evokes emotion within the viewer, translates the emotion of the subject and leaves a lasting impact. Much of my work consists of powerful and moving figurative paintings that depict the broad spectrum and complexity of black existence and emotion.

I paint subjects who are both well known and not to remind us that we are all extraordinary. I want the viewer to see the qualities that the subject openly exhibits and the qualities they may want hidden.

The vibrant colors I use to paint skin are part of a process of changing the connotation of the word, “colored.” Transforming it from a demeaning word, as it was often used, into a sense of pride in all of the colors that make up your skin. I use a contrast of blended and bold stand-out brush strokes and colors. The colors translate  emotion. The brush strokes  express our complexity, conflicted or harmonious emotions and dualities.

Nature, plants and flowers are common themes in my paintings. I like to compare the subject of the painting to elements found in nature. It adds a grounded and interconnected feeling to my work.

When painting black women, It’s important to me to share images and qualities that I don’t often see portrayed. Qualities like being loving, warm, nurturing or just being at peace. I often hear black women described as “strong.” I show the duality in being both strong yet delicate. The soft color palette represents a soft inner emotional world. Many are painted in a powerful stance or posture. These pieces remind us that, despite this assumed strength, black women still need to be handled with care and gentleness.

When painting black men, it’s important to me to paint them in moments of joy, gentleness and peace. Some of my paintings are a a response to all of the senseless violence and brutality I’ve witnessed against black men and women. It often seems that they are hurt or killed out of fear or ignorance. My art offers a different perspective, on black men and women, than I see portrayed in the media.

My paintings  shed light into the diverse African American experience in order to help us love and appreciate our differences, while simultaneously pointing out our oneness in our human experience. My intention is always to uplift, empower and connect people through my art.