Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

I love female portraiture. Growing up obsessed with the work of the old masters, I noticed women like myself weren’t presented in the same esteemed way, if at all. I began painting black and brown women with classical themes and techniques, while simultaneously setting the story straight for our often misrepresented great female figures. My work is not only an expression of self acceptance. As a proud lesbian, my work is deeply romantic. I want to share my love of female beauty in every facet.

Where do you find inspiration?

I’ve always had an affinity for history, whether it be art or ancient cultures. It’s not often that great women are appropriately credited in either of those fields. The deeper you look, the more you will find. I see myself in these women, I feel the power of the goddesses once worshiped. And when in search of depictions, they are either artifacts, gross misrepresentations, or nonexistent. I believe they deserve to be researched, celebrated, and reintroduced to the dialogue of contemporary art.

What would you do with $25,000?

$25,000 would allow me to fully commit to my artistic practice. I work retail full time, I’m able to dedicate my evenings and days off to my paintings. This makes projects I have a burning fire to complete take weeks-months. If given the opportunity to have more flexibility with my time and supplies, my paintings would have the space to become larger, more researched, and more ambitious. It will also allow me to get my work in new spaces, present to more people, and spread more love.