ARTIST STATEMENT
I have always been drawn to the nonverbal expression of painting to communicate myself. I use my emotions as a catalyst for my paintings. I rely on my spirituality, and my knowledge of psychology and communication to provoke emotions that many of us run from feeling. My art describes what freedom looks like, and invites viewers to feel everything we were told not to feel.
The reality is, being black in America is a double edged sword. Through this, I’ve known a never ending narrative of the strong black woman. While meant as an empowered role, it is one which carries its very own weight. So many stories are meant to keep us strong through our experience. A strength necessary to baring the weight of generational emotional trauma, relationship trauma, racism, the impact of poor mental health within our community; but I seek to remember that strength can be soft. It can mean emotional, and compassionate and excitable and curious. Strength can be anything we need it to be.
At the end of the day, I paint for me. I paint to heal what I feel and release what I don’t understand; and it is through my own healing that I am able to stand in my own self, not a narrative placed upon me. It is by sharing my artwork that I offer safe space for others to express themselves freely and their emotions within their own chosen narratives.
My art is the bridge that connects what I’ve been through with where I’m going. It’s a bridge that emotionally and spiritually connects me to my audience. Regardless the medium, my various forms of expression are meant to help me share my complexities and give my audience a chance to discover their own.