Forever A Child
Who’s Your Daddy?
Acrylic, Crayon, Yarn
31” x 35.25”
2020
This piece is the first of my series titled Forever A Child. The series focuses on childhood memories in which I recreate them using art materials and methods that would be appealing to the eye of a child. This drawing is about how when growing up until I was a certain age, I thought every “African American” man was my father due to the dark color of their skin. I was convinced that Levar Burton was my father because they were both black, had an earring on the same ear, and others questioned if he was my father which validated the possibility to be true in my young mind.
There Must Be Something Wrong With Me
Acrylic, Crayon, Paper, Yarn
18.5” x 20”
2020
I had a major issue.
What Is Color?
Acrylic, Crayon, Yarn, Paper
29.5” x 35.5”
2020
My first encounter with race.
Mushmouth
Acrylic, Crayon, Paper, Yarn
18.5” x 24.5”
2020
Illustrating my many sessions going to speech therapy and capitalizing on the joke of how often my family cannot understand what I am saying.
Never Was Smooth With the Ladies
Acrylic, Crayon, Paper, Yarn
25” x 35.5”
2020
It’s self-explanatory.
Is Block Head Your Friend?
Crayon, Paper, Pencil, Story Template
8.5” x 11
2020
An event in which one of my childhood bullies wrote a wonderful short story about me.
Jealousy
Crayon, Paper, Yarn
(2) 8.5” x 11”
2020
The strong feeling I had when another child drew a picture for my Mother.
Young Pollock’s
Acrylic, Cardboard, Marbles, Paper
(3) 18” x 21”
2020
Recreations of the type of artwork I remember doing in kindergarten. Yet, as a young child, I did not understand why we were creating these crafts and who they were influenced by.
I Was a Flat Earther
Chair, Desk, Books, Toys
30” x 27” x 29”
2020
This installation is a representation of what my childhood school desk looked like from first grade. The main piece of the memory is the books on the desk. As a young first grader, we were told the world was round but I did not understand this as the globe was presented as a flat oval in a book to us students. I would then ask “How do you get to the other side, and what is on the other side of the earth?” What made this memory even funnier is the fact that my family owned a globe, yet I could not put both concepts together.
A Special Guest on 100.3 The Beat!
Audio, FM Transmitter, Radio
8” x 5” x 2”
2020
This piece is a recording of an interpretation of a memory of my father speaking to Steve Harvey on his morning radio show about me. An audio recording is transmitted and played through the radio.
The Disco Queen & The Hula-Hoop King
Costume, Hula-Hoop
46” x 30” x 30”
2020
This piece is about a sibling bonding moment I had with my sister at the age of six. My parents took my sister and me to Sea World one day. During the day they had a dancing and hula-hoop competition. My sister won the dancing competition and I won the hula-hoop competition. I was so excited that we both won that I had to tell the facilitators of both activities that we were siblings in an effort to show how great we were as a family.
No More Fairy Tales
Acrylic, Cardboard, Chair, Play-Doh, (2) Scented Stuffed Animals
36” x 17” x 20”
2020
A marker for the realization of unreal symbolic characters through decades-old practices.
Choosing To Let Go
Baby Blanket, Card, Torn Up Love Letter, Stuffed Animal, Rock Heart, Trash Basket
14” x 11.75”
2020
Speaking on the hardship of choosing to let go of a relationship that you nurtured for so long.
What I Wanted to Say
Hershey’s Kisses, Cardboard, Desk, Chair, Scented Valentines Day Cards
30” x 27” x 32.5”
2020
Valentine’s Day, but through the use of the adult language of things I wanted to say to my classmates as a kid in elementary school.
It’s A Small World
Archival Pen, Crayon, Stationary Paper
8.5” x 11”
2020
It really is a creepy ride. I mean it made me cry.
My Uncle’s Prosthetic Thumb
Crayon, Stationary Paper
8.5” x 11”
2020
I swear he can take his thumb right off!
Karma?
Crayon, Stationary Paper
8.5” x 11”
2020
What comes around goes around? Either way, I feel bad for him.
You’ve Been Naughty
Crayon, Stationary Paper
8.5” x 11”
2020
One day I was being naughty during the summer and my Mom threatened to call Santa Claus. I continued to act up, so she called him. I ran away from her and the phone yelling how I refuse to talk to him.
MOWE OVER!
Crayon, Stationary Paper
11” x 8.5”
2020
To be… mowed over… (Jojo Reference).
The Serial Scooper
Crayon, Stationary Paper
8.5” x 11”
2020
She eats cereal with it and then hunts her victims with it!
Observing A Breakdown
Crayon, Stationary Paper
11” x 8.5”
2020
My sister’s poor fish, was he ground up, or was he not? The world may never know.
Faceplant Into First Base
Crayon, Stationary Paper
8.5” x 11”
2020
I still have the scar from that one.
My First Phone
Crayon, Stationary Paper, 12-Year-old Audio Recording
8.5” x 11”
2020
A work that is accompanied by my voicemail from when I was 12 years old.
Bone Apple T Mom!
2 Plates of Hors D’oeuvres (Hot Dogs, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Toasted Bread)
9” x 9” x .5”
2020
My sister and I as kids tried to create and get our Mom to eat nutritious and tasty Hors D’oeuvres.
(Collaboration with Parris McDaniel)
Wow!
Acrylic, Cardboard, Charcoal, Paper, Tape, Toy Car
120” x 96” 20”
2020
This piece is the culmination of the memory of what my Yarn Bombings are influenced by. I remember being mesmerized by all the graffiti I would see going into LA on weekend trips with my Father.
Maimed (The End)
Hair, Hair Ties, Shears
19” x 2” x 6”
2020
This piece is about the day in which I felt my childhood had ended. A negative way to commemorate the stepping stone of me being forced to grow up as my hair was forcibly chopped off.
I Just Can’t Give Them Up
Sewn T-Shirts
2020—
A continuation of my series Forever A Child, being forced to move home to my parents’ house temporarily due to the global pandemic and quarantine in the United States, I found my childhood belongings and decided to work directly using the material from childhood. Accumulations of toys, clothes, and belongings serve as markers of what I held valuable from my childhood and what I still value today. My love for the virtual band the Gorillaz molded the type of music and artwork I enjoy listening to and I thank creators Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn for it.