The older I get, the more I want to explore, experience, create. As the late Maya Angelou stated, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” This explains my insatiable appetite for adventure; through my travels and everyday lived experiences I have been inspired to create on an almost daily basis. In my works you will find an array of topics ranging from random thoughts triggered by my daily experiences to commentary on social and political events. Sometimes visual expression becomes necessary when words aren’t loud enough.
Sometimes visual expression becomes necessary when words aren’t loud enough.
Early Life
I remember writing my first comic book when I was about 4 or 5; I had a pretty extensive vocabulary for a toddler (not as many expletives then). The comic books turned into anime characters when I was a pre-teen that I sold to classmates for $1 (decent money in the ’90s). I was hustling quite a bit back then as money wasn’t the easiest to come by. I was born in Jamaica Hospital, Queens, NY to Jamaican immigrants living in Brooklyn. My mother, the most beautiful person in the world, worked at Hertz car rental and my dad, I was told he worked in “construction” but based on the loaded guns and Hefty bags filled with cash I think it’s safe to assume he was probably a banker or something. I’m kidding, he definitely sold drugs. A lot of it. I wish I could say that my childhood was innocent, however, it was far from that, but this is no tragedy. In addition to infidelity resulting in many siblings that I do not have a relationship with, my father was very abusive to my mother as well as myself and my older brother. There were many incidents that I hate to relive but it was short lived. When I was 8, my father was murdered on New Years Day in 1998.
I wish I could say that my childhood was innocent, however, it was far from that, but this is no tragedy.
My mother had a tough time working multiple jobs while working on her master’s degree to afford us a better life, so my brothers and I were shipped off to Jamaica to live with my grandmother. We lived with my grandma for 2 years before finally going back home, this time to queens (South Ozone Park), where I went to the same Catholic school my mom went to when she came to the United States. Shortly after coming back, my mother was able to move us to Long Island where I lived with my 2 brothers, stepfather, and a half sibling on the way. In the 10th grade I started taking architecture and drafting courses up until my senior year. I went to the University at Buffalo to study architecture and remained there until my junior year when I pivoted into healthcare (Occupational Therapy) for financial reasons. Shortly after the change, my mom was diagnosed with gastric cancer. I spent many weekends driving back and forth between Buffalo and Long Island to spend as much time with her as possible until she passed away in the middle of Spring Break 2013. This was the most devastating loss I have ever experienced and resulted in months of using drugs, drinking alcohol, and making poor decisions. It took some time to snap out of that era in my life and I am not completely sure if it is something that I will ever get over but at the very least I am no longer using drugs and abusing alcohol. My decisions are still questionable. The biggest form of therapy that helped me during this time was art. I painted, sketched, sculpted; I kept myself busy enough to focus on the task at hand and not so much on how sad I really am. Escapism, if you will. I continue to use art to visualize my emotions and convey thoughts and feelings that I cannot or just do not feel comfortable verbalizing.
Works
My work has always been tied to my emotional volatility; struggling with the death of my mom and the challenges of navigating the world independently has escalated to moments of intense sadness, frustration, and sometimes mania. I would see and feel things, letting those emotions unload on paper or canvas. It took some time before I could experience joy; even now, as a happy, well-adjusted 30-something year old I find that I need to release now and then. My first showing of personal pieces occurred during the pandemic and the height of the Black Lives Matter movement – a dark time for everyone. Located in the intimate gallery of Buffalo Art Movement (BAM), titled ‘On Grieving’ I wanted to capture different stages of grief caused by the non-stop news of death, dying, and injustice. From there I transitioned in ‘Pretty Thoughts’ showcasing the ability of us to create our own reality as a form of escape from the misery that was the pandemic. I have since moved towards abstract expressionism to convey my many visions and viewpoints on various topics. My influences include George Condo, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Salvador Dali. I continue to grow and experiment with different techniques and mediums to relay my vision.
My influences include George Condo, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Salvador Dali.
Plans
My goal is to become a household name and be well recognized by collectors and enthusiasts alike. Leaving behind a legacy of works that provoke thought and evoke emotions for generations beyond me is the ultimate success.