The process of painting is to me as important as the completion of a piece.  I feel that art in all its forms reflects man's searches, concerns, drives, strivings and feelings.  The artist, whether consciously or unconsciously, transmits or reflects this "pulse."  One of the major concerns of every individual is facing the unknown and the inexplicable.  My art deals with this encounter with the unknown, which at times can be exhilarating and exciting, but at other timers full of dread and anxiety.  I try to transmit the feeling that one sometimes has of almost grasping the illusive, that feeling of 'déja vu",  and the intense joy, even euphoria, of being alive.

Through the layering of dye, loose but emphatic brushstrokes, and a quest to convey sensuality though color and shape, I seek to express what is evocative, poetic and vibrant. I am drawn to organic lines and shapes, and also to intense and unusual color combinations that strike a deep, hidden chord with the senses and subconscious mind.

My inspiration comes from nature and my own spiritual exploration. I also draw from the textures, colors and earthiness of textiles, and fine crafts like pottery or blown glass. As a textile itself, my artwork (dye on silk) can come off the walls and into the living space – brightening up a lonely corner, visually separating two rooms, or billowing across a ceiling to soften and anchor the entire space. The effect on the emotional and design-scape can be dramatic.

My current body of work is painted on paper.  Paper allows for spontaneous revisions and a quick work pace—which frees me to take more risks with the paint.  The paint slides around the surface of the paper;  encouraging me to work quickly, limit revisions, and explore mark-making.  Paper is a versatile surface for experimentation on a large scale and is a receptive surface for different tools such as pigment sticks, transfer paper and pencil.   This combination of qualities gives the surface of the paintings a rich character and an “immediacy” to the marks. 

I do not work in a series.  Instead of being studies of a specific subject, the individual paintings link to each other like a chain.  Each painting is one moment in a spontaneous train of thought sparked by specific images, thoughts and questions.  The titles are very specific and chosen thoughtfully.  They are an important point of entry for the viewer as he explores the painting.

I have a deep affinity for old stuff - funky junk, rusty things, bits and pieces of detritus most often referred to by the uninitiated as "garbage" or "trash".  ( Ah! but therein lies the idiom! )  Often, If it speaks to my soul, I leave the tattered and threadbare unadorned... but mostly, I live to make things! -put a new spin on an old standard; uncover the 'art heart' of a found object, recycle and restyle timeworn finds.  I love to put paint to paper, walls, canvas and furniture. Color it in!  Embellish it up!  Strip it down!  Whee!  I'm drawn in particular to whimsical themes and the thrill of the unexpected.  Second-hand DOGS are likewise my passion. ( Is there is a more profoundly beautiful artistic tome than Berkeley Breathed's  "Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers At the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound" ? Not in my world, my friend! )  Canine "beauty in imperfection" can be found snoozing  in every stuffed chair and sunny spot at my home studio, The Sit and Stay Atelier.  My dogs are a constant source of inspiration, artistic and otherwise.  And should there ever be a shortage of shopworn chairs needing a make-over - the dogs will happily tatter to order.  The coffee's hot -c'mon over!

Having moved around quite a bit, I am drawn to subjects and/or experiences which remind me of displacement and incongruity – often those which exhibit these notions subtly despite seemingly harmonious appearances. While I try to work with different subjects, my primary interest remains in life's transitory moments.

I use the flotsam and jetsom of the city of San Francisco to create art that draws you into a world not of this world. Found paint and board, used to make something from nothing.

I went to San Francisco public school when art was an important part of the learning experience. Played drums in the seminal SF punk band "VKTMS" from 1978-1982, visual partner in the light show "Brotherhood of Light". Over a decade of participation in Artspan San Francisco, donations to Hospitality House , Coalition of the Homeless and Visual Aid have informed my artistic journey.

I have studied and loved art since I was a child but chose a career in biology and received a Master of Arts in Teaching before making the permanent change to full time artist. I received my MFA in figurative painting from the Academy of Art University in the summer of 2009. I am a figurative oil painter who enjoys the challenge of trying to capture and interpret what I see and the freedom to push this in any direction. I paint portraits, nude and clothed figures in both expressive and traditional ways consisting of sometimes muted and sometimes rich and vibrant colors. I create my work alla prima and with layering. I like working alla prima so that I can capture the feeling of the moment but I also like laying various sheets of color on top of one another in a transparent manner and creating a variety of textures. I was raised in Oklahoma City with my older brother, by my Nigerian father and my African-American mother. I spent most of my life growing up away from my extended family that live in Nigeria, Mali, England and the east coast of the United States and feel like this has kept me from being close with them. In my current work I have been able to explore some of the feelings about the relationships I have with my family through the medium of paint. I have created some of my paintings from old photographs and use various textures, layers and techniques throughout the process to help represent the vintage feel of the picture and to help mirror the relationships and my interpretation of the relationships between myself and the person in the picture. I enjoy creating paintings that have a variety to them, a consistency to the whole group and that show my varied passions in painting. Despite how a person meshes with their family, there is a beauty and poetry to family and I want to represent this in the form of paintings. I recognize that there is this commonality and universality of family and multi-ethnicity to everyone, so I am delving even deeper into this idea by painting and incorporating other people into the universality and poetry of family and multi-ethnicity and by using modern photos in this same style. I continue to explore both representational and semi-abstract methods to show these relationships. The most recent series has allowed me to incorporate my passion for the figure, my love of abstraction, and my desire to explore the “POETRY OF FAMILY.”