Artist Statement
Fine Art
As a visual artist and poet, I mine stories that have been buried or left to die. I raise questions that need attention. I shine light on shadows and attempt to bring voice to the voiceless. I am in quest of peace for all living beings and focused on doing my best in the time allotted. Whether through words or visual expression, I use the tools at my disposal to do the best job possible.
As I travel this road as an artist, I am constantly exploring new means of expressing the “smells i see”. Assemblage of found objects on satellite dish reflector plates began as a means of expressing stories and poetry I had submitted to literary journals that were rejected by editorial staffs. The series "Can You Hear Me Now" was born from the seeds of rejection. I thank those editors for this birth.
In re-purposing elements that may have found their way into landfills and toxic dumps, both nationally and internationally and among our world’s poorest citizens, these elements now may find their way into museums to be viewed by some of our world’s wealthiest citizens.
The Purpose of My Work
1. To re-purpose environmental waste that is globally endangering humanity, especially the
youth of many impoverished African, Asian and European countries.
2. To educate my community of people of African descent about topics that get little if any
media attention and adversely affect our quality of life.
3. To inspire youth to become critical thinkers and disseminate fact from fiction. One of my
primary purposes is to present positive images of our families from an empirical as well as
historical perspective. Using copies of actual historical documents, books, letters, collectable
artifacts and other items, I want to present work that documents “our-story” from my
perspective.
4. I believe in documenting my time on this earth through art and the art of the story. I rely on
metaphor as a means of presenting visual art as literature. As a poet I firmly believe in the story
behind my art and the power derived from leaving a visual history.
5. Another purpose of my visual art is to add a layer of visual language to the prose and poetry of
written and visual words. I create art as a poet creates a poem by editing, revising and constantly
thinking of the sounds, smells, touch and sight of the images I use in the production of a work.
I hope to contribute additional voice and attention to stories that may get lost in the myriad of
stories presented as popular culture; stories that receive much less media attention than less
controversial news. My intent is to add to the dialogue that may bring about creative solutions to
problems of conscience that we encounter as human beings.
As a visual artist and poet, I mine stories that have been buried or left to die. I raise questions that need attention. I shine light on shadows and attempt to bring voice to the voiceless. I am in quest of peace for all living beings and focused on doing my best in the time allotted. Whether through words or visual expression, I use the tools at my disposal to do the best job possible.
As I travel this road as an artist, I am constantly exploring new means of expressing the “smells i see”. Assemblage of found objects on satellite dish reflector plates began as a means of expressing stories and poetry I had submitted to literary journals that were rejected by editorial staffs. The series "Can You Hear Me Now" was born from the seeds of rejection. I thank those editors for this birth.
In re-purposing elements that may have found their way into landfills and toxic dumps, both nationally and internationally and among our world’s poorest citizens, these elements now may find their way into museums to be viewed by some of our world’s wealthiest citizens.
The Purpose of My Work
1. To re-purpose environmental waste that is globally endangering humanity, especially the
youth of many impoverished African, Asian and European countries.
2. To educate my community of people of African descent about topics that get little if any
media attention and adversely affect our quality of life.
3. To inspire youth to become critical thinkers and disseminate fact from fiction. One of my
primary purposes is to present positive images of our families from an empirical as well as
historical perspective. Using copies of actual historical documents, books, letters, collectable
artifacts and other items, I want to present work that documents “our-story” from my
perspective.
4. I believe in documenting my time on this earth through art and the art of the story. I rely on
metaphor as a means of presenting visual art as literature. As a poet I firmly believe in the story
behind my art and the power derived from leaving a visual history.
5. Another purpose of my visual art is to add a layer of visual language to the prose and poetry of
written and visual words. I create art as a poet creates a poem by editing, revising and constantly
thinking of the sounds, smells, touch and sight of the images I use in the production of a work.
I hope to contribute additional voice and attention to stories that may get lost in the myriad of
stories presented as popular culture; stories that receive much less media attention than less
controversial news. My intent is to add to the dialogue that may bring about creative solutions to
problems of conscience that we encounter as human beings.
