Working on vintage paper with mixed media, these are a collection of experimental drawings and illustrations from my days at Art Center College of Design. :^)
Above: The very first time I drew triangles in a repeated motif, this aesthetic has become widely popular in today's visual conversations.
Above: "21" ink on vintage paper.
These animal drawings paired hateful labels with animals that shared something with the stereotypes. Above is a common Caribou, which is the most wide-spread animal in the northern hemisphere. It is labeled Gringo, for anyone of Western European origin. I drew it moving to allude to the expansion by Europeans into the Americas. I labeled the animal and then tried to erase it, showing that we may try to ramify these stereotypes, but they still linger and are not gone completely from contemporary thought or behavior.
Balsero is a label given to Cubans that seek political asylum in the U.S., specifically in Miami, FL. They mostly arrive in homemade boats, and once they touch dry land, they are given certain protections. This is a Cuban Crocodile, only found in Cuba, which is of particular interest because it prefers to live on land (US's dry land policy) and when it does inhabit the water it prefers fresh water and marshes (such as the Everglades in South Florida). It was once found in all of the Caribbean (alluding to Spanish Colonial rule) and is now endangered (like the plight of the people of Cuba). Furthermore, the island of Cuba is known by many to be shaped like a "caiman".
Cotton-picker alludes to America's dark history of slavery. The West Indian Coelocanth is a prehistoric fish, in that much of its relatives have been gone for some time now (like the traditions of Africans that were forced into slavery).
These two drawings represent a falsified childhood based on the idea that we are predisposed to certain skill-sets and interests and these are inherited from usually one of our biological parents. Without knowing my father at all growing up, in many ways I am just like him, a living mystery of identity that I am still learning about to this day. In each drawing the face of the "father" figure is not in view. I researched different synonyms for the often scorning label of "bastard" or illegitimate offspring to cast light, on better words to use to not offend people that are born out of wedlock.
Drawing No. 2 from the Missing Father series.
These next three mixed media drawings are based off of early childhood memories, specifically toys that I remember the most.
This is a portrait of friend and fellow artist Mwanel "1L" Pierre-Louis.
Experimental drawing combining abstraction, graphics, and symbolism.