Definition: A work in a genre (of theater, cinema, literature, manga, etc.) that presents day-to-day happenings with no clear central plot and takes place in a world that mirrors our own
As a Black person in the world it often feels that when it comes to depicting Black bodies (this can go for other POCs too) that often they are either in a tragic/traumatic state or they must be superheroes correcting the many injustices of the world. It is important to me that there exists imagery of Black bodies that aren’t in states of high emotion but are in environments that are serene and calm where life can just be enjoyed.
Medium: Oil on Wood panel
Year: 2022
Photo taken by Stephanie Houten
Growing up a lot of the time the protagonist of fantasy stories weren’t children of color. Often they were almost exclusively young white boys. As an avid reader I am finding there are more stories depicting people of color as the main characters. This piece was created to reflect my love of fantasy and to express my joy at how diverse it is starting to become.
Medium: Oil on Wood Panel
Year: 2022
Photo taken by Stephanie Houten
In many cultures, the Sphinx is seen as a guardian of knowledge. In this piece I was interested in using the Sphinx to symbolize a barrier to knowledge rather than a guardian to it.
Medium: Colored Pencils and Copic Markers on Wood
Year: 2022
Photo taken by Stephanie Houten
This piece is based on a story from the Congo told by the Nyanga people about a warrior child with mystical abilities. Growing up I have always been intrigued by mythical stories from all over. I made this piece after going on a search for folk tales that I hadn’t heard of. As a lover of stories I was eager to discover more amazing tales. My goal with this piece was to create the feel of a children’s story using wood.
Year: 2022
Photo taken by Stephanie Houten
Anacaona (Golden Flower) was a Taino cacique (chief) who was a religious expert, poet and composer as well who was born in Jaragua, Hispaniola. She sought to have a friendly relationship with the Spaniards but was ultimately betrayed and hunged in what is know known as Leogane, Haiti. She has been memorialized through the Caribbean. A statue of her exists in Leogane.
Title: Anacaona: The Golden Flower
Medium: Sumi Ink and Oil Paint
Year: 2021
Photo taken by Stephanie Houten
This piece was created to represent a relaxed state of mind. The man is in the moment as his hands caress the instrument. Sunlight covers the majority of his face calling attention to it. The cherry blossoms or sakura are also use to draw attention to the player. The blossoms are painted so that your eyesight goes to his hands playing the koto. I was also inspired by the Japanese art style known as ukiyo-e that uses a characteristic bold flat black line and a diagonal composition.
Medium: Sumi Ink and Watercolor
Year: 2018
On March 1st, 1954 a Japanese tuna fishing boat set sail on the Pacific. It was supposed to be a simple day of fishing but would later become the start of a nightmare. The boat became contaminated by radiation due to a thermonuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll. The crew of 23 men suffered ARS (Acute Radiation Syndrome). The fish they had brought with them had been contaminated and accidentally taken to markets across Tokyo (The crew was not aware of what they had been a part of). The United States initially claimed that the Daigo Fukuryu Maru was a spy boat and also attempted to downplay the seriousness of the situation. It was later found that 856 japanese vessels were exposed.
The Daigo Fukuryu Maru Incident would inspired the first Godzilla movie.
Made the piece cartoony as a shout out to Japan's use of cartoons to speak about the horrors of nuclear radiation with such works like the Grave of Fireflies.
Medium: Oil/Sumi Ink
This piece was originally going to feature the Statue of Liberty in the distance but I decided to not to have a completed image of it. I did this to show that for a lot of people the journey to a better life is a hard and arduous one.
Medium: Arcylic
Year: 2018
Photo by Maria Servellom
Sumi Ink on Canvas
This piece was done as a commentary on the current climate of xenophobia through laws that treat immigrants as criminals and monsters rather than as people fleeing terrible situations. I decide to merge the American flag and the wall as one because at times it feels as if they are one entity. It is also a commentary on past historical events such as the Naturalization Act of 1790 Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Internment camps, the creation of I.C.E and other acts we as a society have falsely justified as being good for the country
Medium: Sumi Ink
Year: 2018
Photo taken by Stephanie Houten
This piece can be interpreted in many ways. My initial reason for drawing this piece was to show that women are not the delicate flowers that society has regulated them to being but strong beings capable of fending for themselves, However I have come to realize that the wolf in the background instead of being a symbol of strength could also represent the predatory nature that society has towards women.
Medium: Sumi Ink and Watercolor
Year: 2018
Photo by Stephanie Houten
This is a more personal piece. The wolf represents me as I face the many obstacles that life may throw at me which is represented by the mountain. I choose the wolf as a symbol for me because I feel that the wolf represents strength, loyalty and perseverance.
Medium: Sumi Ink on Canvas
Year: 2018
A Hidden Knowledge was created in response to American society’s lack of diverse teaching in regards to its underserved communities more specifically Black history. I wanted to create a piece that championed diverse stories by referencing authors and events in the spines of the book. I grew up borrowing books often from the local library. This is a part of my life that I wanted to honor in my artwork. I believe that stories no matter how big or small are important and are all worth hearing. A Hidden Knowledge is also a call against the racist rhetoric that education is not important to the Black community.
Medium: Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
Year: 2022
Displayed at the W Boston Hotel located at 100 Stuart St
The People Who Could Fly is an African American folklore tale about people who escaped enslavement through flight. It was a reflection of the many hopes African Americans had during that time. This piece is more than just a reimagining of that tale. It is a continuation. It is a tribute to everyone’s ancestors who went through difficult times; an appreciation for the improvements in our lives thanks to them and a call to always believe that one can fly even when no one else does.
Medium: Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
Year: 2021
Displayed at Harrison and Dudley St in Nubian Square
This piece is a reedition of the West African tale “King Chameleon” or “The Chameleon and the Hare” which is an amusing tale about a chameleon who cheats in a race to become king but is left with no subjects. I believe that stories are beautiful and that it is a shame that as a society we have groups of people with wonderful stories but we haven’t acknowledged that their stories need to be told because we insist on only telling the stories of a select few when we have a seemingly infinite amount of stories to choose from. I hope this piece inspires someone to seek stories in cultures they normally wouldn’t have.
Location: Hyde Park
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Year: 2021
Lost in the Game
For this piece I wanted to give a shout out to female gamers. Although a lot of gamers are female too often gaming spaces aren’t very inviting. There is still this very archaic idea that video games aren’t for women. I wanted to create a piece were the focus was a female gamer to pushback against this idea. The piece is also a tribute to the 2d side-scrolling platforms of the late 80s and early 90s.
Commissioned by Allston Village Main Streets
Location: Allston, Massachusetts
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Year: 2020
After reading up on Chelsea and speaking with a friend from there I learned that Chelsea had many moments of adversary however always seemed to grow stronger with each obstacle due to the strength of its community. I also learned that Chelsea has a large immigrant community which I wanted to reflect. The characters of different shades, multi colored planes and field are all meant to be a love letter to the diversity of Chelsea.
Commission by City of Chelsea
Location: Chelsea, Massachusetts
Medium: Acrylic paint and Wheat paste
Year: 2020
For this piece I wanted to create a work that would be directly connected to the Mattapan Library. Since Mattapan is a community with a large black population I wanted the paint box to reflect this. I also wanted to promote reading because I believe in it wholeheartedly.
Commissioned by the City of Boston.
Location: Mattapan Library
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Year: 2020
I wanted to represent a sense of strength and hope with this piece. I also wanted to reflect the innocence of youth. I wanted the kids of Mattapan to have an artwork that said “It’s fine to be kid. Sometimes you just need to play and that’s fine.”
Commissioned by the City of Boston.
Location: Mattapan Library
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Year: 2020
Group project done for a compositing course taken at Northeastern University. I designed the majority of the graphics used in the video and voiced the main character. My teammates did the video editing and the animations.
This is an experiment using a model created by Mia Pray and a rig by Rigstation. The animation is based on one of Alex Woo ‘s many martial arts videos. Alex Woo is a longtime practitioner. I wanted to use his martial arts as a way to work on my animation because of how very dynamic it is.
A lone man goes on a perilous journey in order to obtain the coveted Holy Grail. However a surprise awaits him at the end.
3D Animation
Maya
2019
Two Dancers. Two Different Parts of the World. Still Connected by a Common Love.
When two creatures meet each other for the first time.
Stop Motion Animation
2015
