Portfolio

"The Winds of Change Blow Through Me"

I began thinking about this piece at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. Specifically, I wanted to focus on the courage shown by children who had begun to march alongside their elders. I chose to represent this courage through the tiger, a common symbol of courage across many cultures. I also chose the tiger because it can represent wind, a force that I link to ideas of both grace and power. The boy stands in front of the tiger, eyeing the viewer with a look of both anger and fear. I chose to obscure his hands, avoiding putting him in a very obvious "fighting" pose because I didn't want it to seem like the boy was searching for a fight; he is simply preparing himself to stand tall against anything that might challenge him. Lastly, I chose to use techniques that I'd begun to explore within my sketchbook, where I render areas of focus (the boy's skin and the tiger) while letting other areas remain linear (the boy's clothing).

"Burner Phone"

"Hydrangea"

"Wyblok"

“What They See”

This is another drawing pulled from my sketchbook. Again, I played with the juxtaposition between rendered and unrendered aspects of a drawing. Within this piece, I focused on developing the skin while letting the clothing fade into the background. I created this piece in response to the question, "how does it feel to be a problem". The developed skin symbolizes society's view of people of color. Black individuals are commonly reduced to their skin tone, left to be stereotyped, judged and persecuted based on a single aspect of themselves. The boy I’ve drawn is completely alone, surrounded by nothingness. This could be perceived as him being surrounded by everything “white”.

"Tatarimokke": A Series of Unfortunate Events

These pieces are apart of an ongoing series called "Tatarimokke". They depict children in situations where they may feel lost or isolated. The series will conclude with a piece depicting the children standing together ready to face whatever may come to stand against them. They are meant to represent how, as children, we are constantly faced with new challenges that can make us feel alone and weak, but slowly, as we build connections and begin to find comfort within the bonds we form, we become stronger.

"Attraction"

"Isolation"

"Shadow"

"Onibi: The Woman on Fire": Part 1 and 2

"Projections"

"Iris"

"Levels"

More on "Levels"

"Levels" is an abstract self portrait that symbolizes my growth as an artist throughout my time attending NOCCA. My first year, I focused on black and white, representational art. I did the same during my second year, except I began to incorporate color. My third year, I began to move into abstract art. This piece utilizes all three techniques, showing the interconnectivity of all three styles, and how they have helped to shape one another.

"Pass Over"

"Is This What You See Looking Back at Me?"

More on "Is This What You See Looking Back at Me?"

"Is This What You See Looking Back at Me", is meant to reflect on common stereotypes found in relation to gay men, most notably, the fetishization of gay men (and the idea that they have a natural want for sex), and the idea that gay men have a natural tendency to abuse drugs.

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