On Process

It usually starts with a surface. Intuition guides my choices when creating a ground. Many times I will begin with acrylic paint. This helps with drafting an idea quicker and less precious.

As the ground develops into a space, I pause and take time to understand the space and what it is trying to communicate. During this phase a figure or representation of a concept in forms of people or action figures make there way into the painting. The level of detail varies piece to piece on how far I push the representation.

The final stage of the work is usually done with oil paint. This is where the multi styles are joined together in order to communicate with each other both hinting at different aspects of the same.

Many of the paintings play with the juxtaposition of chaos and structure. This originates with older work of mine which focused on an inner conflict of self as a biracial (black + white) man who passes as white.

There is a conversation around perception both inner and outer perceptions. Many of the paintings are done in tandem, and eventually become diptychs based on both approaching different angles of the origin message.