Each painting in the series is a study of leaves and assault rifles. Some of the rifles are hidden, others are more blatant. I hope to  foster dialogue about the ways in which a lethal combination of technology and violence has become second nature to humanity. I want to push viewers to also think about the marginalized individuals around the world who fall to this culture of racialized violence.

ABUSE OF POWER
oil on canvas
60 x 60 inches
SOLD

I initially pulled inspiration from photos of leaf formations I’d taken while on a medical brigade trip to Panama in May of 2014. When I got back home, I began researching images of different assault rifles as I heard more about countless police related shootings and non-indictments in the U.S. 


I realized that the leaves I was studying had a similar shape to these assault rifles. Using stencils made from notebook paper, I patterned the rifles into fronds.

Consumed by the tragedies in Sanford, Florida and Ferguson, Missouri, I hit the canvas with my then sixteen-year-old brother in mind, and in November of 2014 produced the beginnings of what would become a series of around 15 paintings.

HANGFIRE
oil on canvas
10 x 10 inches
SOLD