I grew up the youngest of five brothers in a house full of competition. My oldest brother, Blane, was good at drawing; he pushed me in many ways to get better. I somehow ended up with a catalog from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale; the drawings inside challenged my imagination and inspired me to pursue art.
I always liked drawing and it gave me recognition when I was young. My teachers would regularly want me to draw things. My middle school history teacher, for example, definitely had a positive impact on me when they framed my drawing of the South Carolina State Capitol and hung it in the classroom. Another middle school teacher asked if I was artistically inclined; I wasn’t sure what it meant but it sounded good, so I said, “Yes.” I took a test in high school that recommended I study engineering, so that’s what I did. While I was in college for engineering, someone suggested I apply for an art scholarship at Claflin University, which I did and it was life changing. After graduating from Claflin University, I had a brief stay at The Art Institute of Atlanta.
Initially, I favored pencils and color pencils. Once I began using oils in college, I was hooked. I liked the feel of the paint and being able to create textures. For many years, my works were exclusively with oils. As I explored more mediums, I started using acrylics; then, it became a mixed media method of oils, acrylics, inks, watercolors and collage. I find something unique about each medium that allows me to create the look I’m expecting. Eventually, I introduced silk screening to produce the wording.
My paintings tend to get larger each year. The larger sizes help me to emphasize the messages I want to convey. When I started using documents on my works, the size of the paintings became larger as I wanted the documents to be readable. I usually work on a few paintings at the same time, because of drying time. The concept of a painting will exist first in my mind, then it becomes a process of making it exist for real. When I start to have too many unfinished works, though, my mind begins to feel heavy and out of balance. Sometimes, to know if I am actually finished with an artwork, I’ll enter a painting in an exhibit to see it in a different setting. When it’s finished, I feel remarkable that I painted something unique in the world. I get a euphoric rush, and then it’s on to the next chase.
I turned my garage at home into my creative studio space. I put cabinets in and built tables as I make my own bars to stretch the canvas. This gives the canvas more texture than those that are sold pre-stretched, something I prefer for my work. The garage door is usually open as I listen to my music and paint. I have a playlist which follows my creative process. In the beginning of my painting, it’s definitely Lecrae, Trip Lee, Wande, Gawvi and other Christian rappers. The lyrics are incredible, and the sounds are inspiring: it causes me to elevate my work; it places me in a mental state to create. Once I have the composition and colors worked out, I tune to something old school, like the Zapp Band, George Clinton, and Parliament; all sounds I would listen to while growing up. As I’m finishing the details, I move to jazz with Thelonious Monk, Coltrane and Miles Davis, sounds that engulf me into the art.