Artist statement

Whether it's creating delicate paintings influenced by Baroque and Art Nouveau artists or Afrocentrism-infused Victorian furniture, my work focuses on the importance of visibility, fine craft, and challenging Eurocentric beauty standards while celebrating those who are seen but not heard. Walking the line between visibility and invisibility, I shed light on intersectional invisibility's role in Black and Queer people's perceptions and experiences and use it to reclaim my Blackness. I use the painting process to explore the intersections of being visible yet invisible as a Black Queer artist and allow it to be my teacher: a model for navigating the complexities of contemporary culture and Neo-black identity. Walking the line between visibility and invisibility, I shed light on intersectional invisibility's role in Black and Queer people's perceptions and experiences and use it to reclaim my Blackness. Through the use of portraiture and nontraditional material in oil painting, I showcase Black people's beauty through heavily textured coral-like hair juxtaposed with softly blended deep skin to draw more attention to the naturalistic qualities in Black characteristics. I turn to natural qualities as a collaborative element in the creative process, painting lustrous paintings, developing layered atmospheric spaces, or celebrating the beauty from a long lineage of lost history. I use the painting process as a small way to pay tribute to those who came before me, reclaiming my Afrocentric roots and intern breaking the divide that separates us and showcasing what makes us one of the same.