In my current series, titled “Garden of Eden”, I paint the “everyday” woman, focusing on women of color. These women are not necessarily conventionally beautiful but have a beauty that goes deeper than what is on the surface. There is an inner strength I want to show, a fierceness that makes these images powerful to the viewer. These women that I see every day in my community, reflect what the real world looks like, not the white-washed, superficial beauty that can flood television, movies, media and art. These women are real. They are mothers, daughters, sisters. They are teachers, lawyers, students, home-makers, and more. I want to celebrate these women and show that every woman deserves to be portrayed in art.

In the Garden of Eden, Eve was surrounded by the beauty of the garden before being cast out due to a moment of weakness, a single choice that changed everything. Much like this garden, my paintings are filled with lush flowers and foliage. They surround each figure and envelope them. They show that although there is beauty in the world, there is still danger and evil that is lurking. Some of these paintings are more symbolic with an element of danger, like the snake in the Garden of Eden. In other paintings, the danger, much like the real world, is unseen and can be dependent on a single choice, a single outcome which can change everything.