Artist Highlight

My work is an extension of me, literally. In my past works, I would solicit my friends for nude photos and direct them on how to pose. Now I use myself as a reference. I set up a tripod in my bathroom and play with different seated and standing poses. Once I’m ready to paint, I change a few things to give my girls their identity. I then refer to my collection of photos and screenshots that I’ve taken that I find inspiring. It could be something as simple as a leaf or a wedding gown I saw on Pinterest.

 

I work by first building layers of texture on the canvas. I like the polarity of the soft feminine form with the rugged textured canvas. It gives another aspect to my work that makes you want to look at it and touch it. My painting process is rapid, as if I’m sketching an idea, using a thick black holding line, and painting in bold colors like I’m using a crayon in a coloring book. I don’t want to take it too seriously; it’s essential that I’m painting for myself and that I’m painting for fun. My fashion illustration teacher Mr. Broadway used to scold me for using thick holding lines because it would smear. Now I love that the holding line bleeds a little or that my lines aren’t smooth. I celebrate my mistakes, and l allow myself to be free and almost childlike when painting, which is nearly the opposite of how I worked as a clothing designer.

 

I often use dark skin tones on my girls because, in a way, I want to put the dark-skinned woman on a pedestal. Dark-skinned women are often ignored, so this is my way of celebrating them/her.  When people see my work, I want them to see femininity, a different approach to fashion design and nudity, and exoticism in the black woman.