My interest lies with identity in the social realm of the workingclass African American, constructed by his language, beliefs, and morals in contradistinction to middle-class values. Using the portrait as a point of departure, I create a narrative that reveals humanity in the face and on the face. This process sheds light on otherness as sameness through a countenance. I believe that otherness is nothing but strangeness guided by preconceived notions of the dominant voice and its inability or unwillingness to see beyond the facade it helped to create.

Identity is nothing new. However, each painting is, along with route I take to get there. I look at art history, my history, and the history of the various communities I have experienced and belong to. I am both an “insider and outsider,” participating at a close distance, staying connected.