Dead Piano Player Painting

I use various materials mixed and matched with formal painting elements to establish complex associations and alternate definitions between language and sentiment. I create polarizing, political, cultural, and social frameworks which focus on the destructive perfection inherent in the numerous iterations of global Capitalist culture. I interrogate our present system using informational fragments from anonymous sources, personal experiences, and various cultural observations, then integrate them into new, poetic compositions which speak to themes of social justice and disenfranchisement. Born in rural Alabama, I helped support my working class family by harvesting food and fire wood for the winter months. I also worked as a farm hand herding animals and operating farm equipment. ​ While attending the University of South Alabama, I studied fine art under Professor James Kennedy. I tried out for the university football team as a wide receiver and defensive back, ultimately failing to earn a spot on the team. I exhibited at multiple local galleries and at the Mobile Museum of Art. I became the first student member of the City of Mobile’s Art’s Council before completing my BFA in 2000. In August 2001 I moved to Brooklyn, New York and obtained my MFA in studio art at Pratt Institute under artist Linda Francis. ​ After 2009 I changed career paths and pursued a technical degree in high-end automotive repair. I graduated top of class in 2011 before working professionally for almost three years in different New York based BMW repair facilities. Over time I realized it wasn’t for me and in early 2014 I quit and recommitted myself to art. I love the culture and vitality of the arts community in New York and miss it tremendously.