As the only person of color in most any space growing up in suburban Omaha, NE, I’ve been well accustomed to having many eyes on me. Fortunately, these stares were often encircling me, as swarms of children ogled my newest comic or caricature. Although I did often find social refuge in my talent, I still often found myself feeling every much isolated as I navigated the dual exclusivity and inclusivity of being a ‘mixed race’ (black and white) adolescent.

These early feelings of isolation were very evident in my early work. Among the “Pop Surreal” series, the bizarre and uncanny characters often harken to my lifelong struggle with finding community. During my studies at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, I often set my sights of using my artwork to create more dialogue concentrating less on internal struggle, but external mores regarding sexuality and religion (“Inverse of Adam”, “Exquisite Crust”).

More recently, with a more solidified sense of self, place, and justice, my current series “Fed Up” has been as much a cathartic practice, as much as a call to action.