My art is psychological, sociological, and aural interpretation of the interdependence of symbols and institutions.  My work often exploit’s the signifiers from my childhood.  As an African American, it is also important to elaborate on the underlying themes of my social and economical experience.  My subjects exist in an environment on the fringe of order and disorder.  I attempt to repurpose the subjects to a bare elemental form and portray them with elegance and volume through rhythm and repetition.

 

As a child, I had a wide range of interest, ranging from science, comics, cartoons, pop culture, etc.  I often watched science fiction, enamored with the notion of time travel and parallel realities.  I often contemplated the vastness of outer space.  I wanted to narrate fantastical fictional allegories.  Due to traumatic experiences as a child, (mainly revolving around the failing health of my mother), I spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals.  I was displaced and often alone in my thoughts. I had to use my imagination, as a constant, to escape reality.  No matter where I went I could always find refuge in my thoughts.  Being poor, I didn’t have access to many materials, so I engineered mainly with paper and pencil.

 

At present, the uses of materials are continually evolving.  Integrated into a history of process ranging from the formal elements of Painting, Design, Sound Art and Sculpture.  Formally, I use graphite/carbon as a common thread.  I employ traditional 2-D with 3-D substrates, whose surface is gradually manipulated carefully engineered.  My art is a device of introspection, my way of adapting to my ecology and using my practice as a coping mechanism. I explore both the inner and outer space of my human experience. I make sense of discourse in our culture through creating a unique visual and aural language. 

Current Work

Graphite, in academia is a very fundamental tool. It’s easily dismissed due to its copious usage in contemporary pedagogic practice. Graphite is derivative of carbon, which is the Building block of life. Specifically, Carbon makes up 18 percent of the human body. I use graphite because it is essential and universal. I use graphite both traditionally and non-traditionally, to transcend the material beyond its predictable margin.