DEEP BLACK
10″ x 18″ Mixed Media on Wood
A darkness in your beauty. An innocence to your thoughts. Your heart taken for granted. For you it wasn’t just for fun. It wasn’t just a night in life. Meaning was there in the corner of your mind. Your heart fluttering as he walked out the door. Would it have been the same if you knew he was never coming back? Would you have given him another chance? Forgiven in your heart… he is sorry.
GET UP STAND UP
8.5″ x 11″ Marker on Paper
Preacherman don’t tell me, Heaven is under the Earth. I know you don’t know what life is really worth. It’s not all that glitters is gold. Half the story has never been told. So now you see the light, eh! Stand up for your rights. Come on!
Most people think, Great God will come from the skies. Take away everything and make everybody feel high. But if you know what life is worth. You will look for yours on Earth. And now you see the light. You stand up for your rights. Jah!
We sick and tired of- your ism-skism game – Dyin’ ‘n’ goin’ to Heaven in-a Jesus’ name, Lord. We know when we understand. Almighty God is a living man. You can fool some people sometimes. But you can’t fool all the people all the time. So now we see the light… Stand up for your right!
GET UP STAND UP, DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT…
Get Up Stand Up ~ Bob Marley & The Wailers
ONLY IN YOUR DREAMS
8.5″ x 11″ Marker on Paper
Walking around with my eyes and mouth separated from my body. I came across a group of ladies, naked ladies, worshiping a giant tortoise. He was popping out from the ground like a flower. The women were chanting, only in your dreams… only in your dreams. I looked to the sky and it was filled with pinwheels. Only in your dreams. Then… I woke up… grabbed my pad… and drew this.
RASTA ALL DANCE
16″ x 20″ Mixed Media on Canvas
Ratsa all dance to de positive vibe. Bangin’ on de drum feel de beat feel alive. Roll a little something ‘n’ pass it to ya friend. Pull it up from de ground, get it out de garden. Only put inna de body de food dat mek ’em feel good. Treat it like a temple, like ya know ya should. Be a good man to ya bredren, to ya sistren, to everyone dat ya see. Cuz ya know dat we all part of de same family. Give thanks, give praises up to de Most High. In de name of de father Haile Selassi I.
WALK ON
8.5″ x 11″ Markers on Watercolor Paper
When you walk through a storm hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky and the sweet silver song of the lark. Walk on through the wind. Walk on through the rain. Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone. You’ll never ever walk alone. Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone. You’ll never ever walk alone.
You’ll Never Walk Alone ~ R. Rogers/O. Hammerstein II
THIS BIRCH
10″ x 24″ Mixed Media on Wood
(Birch) Sisters get respect, birches get what they deserve. Sisters work hard, birches work your nerves. Sisters hold you down, birches hold you up. Sisters help you progress, birches will slow you up. Sisters cook up a meal, play their role with the kids. Birches in street with their nose in your biz. Sisters tell the truth, birches tell lies. Sisters drive cars, birches wanna ride. Sisters give-up the a**, birches give-up the a**. Sisters do it slow, birches do it fast. Sisters do their dirt outside of where they live. Birches have ni**as all up in your crib. Sisters tell you quick “you better check your homie”. Birches don’t give a f**k, they wanna check for your homie. Sisters love Jay cuz they know how ‘Hov is. I love my sisters, I don’t love no birch. Bi(r)ches & Sisters ~ JAY Z
O BOY
11″ x 13″ Mixed Media on Wood
What are you guys looking at? Oh boy, I never thought I’d see one of those in person. Is it for real? Where did it come from? How did it get here? I have no clue, but it’s here. What should we do with it? What are you supposed to do with it? I’m not really sure, I’ve never used one before. Should we call someone? No, don’t call anyone. No one else should know about this. Oh boy, I don’t know. I don’t know if I can handle this. I gotta go…
FREEDUMB
18″ x 24″ Mixed Media on Acrylic
Do we really have freedom? Are we just free to be dumb? Gasoline, mortgages and phone bills are the new shackles around our feet. Do we really have freedom? We need passports to cross invisible lines on land. We need to be sick to smoke the medicine provided by a plant. Do we really have freedom? It’s still not legal for two people who are deeply, truly, madly in love to get married in certain states. People are still not getting paid what they deserve cause the color of their face. Is this what freedom is? We are trapped by our bills, our jobs, our fears. You are free to be dumb. Emancipate yourselves from material and mental slavery. Only then will you truly be free…
AMBUSHED
10″ x 10″ Mixed Media on Paper
See them fighting for power. But they know not the hour. So they bribing with their guns, spare-parts and money. Trying to belittle our integrity now. They say what we know is just what they teach us. And we’re so ignorant ’cause every time they can reach us. Through political strategy. They keep us hungry. And when you gonna get some food, your brother got to be your enemy.
Well, what we know Is not what they tell us. We’re not ignorant, I mean it and they just cannot touch us. Through the powers of the Most-High, we keep on surfacin’. Thru the powers of the Most-High, we keep on survivin’.
Yeah, this ambush in the night, planned by society. Ambush in the night. They tryin’ to conquer me. Ambush in the night. Anything money can bring. Ambush in the night, planned by society… Ambush In the Night – Bob Marley & The Wailers
451
12″ x 24″ Mixed Media on PVC
I respect everyone’s right to vote, but… Our system is… a joke. If I could I would let all the ballots burn. Another election day is just another turn. For us to “vote” on the words of promises to be broken. For us to buy into a system that is broken. For us to feel like our checked box matters only to have everything remain the same or get worse or get shattered. Broken. Presidents are just puppets of the system who stand in front of the cameras and deliver the bad news that congress still can’t get its sh*t together. Broken. Cast your vote for the lesser of two evils. Cast your vote for a housing market crashed. Cast your vote to support the rich. Cast your vote for the pursuit…the pursuit… the pursuit of happiness. Cast your vote for change. What change? Nothing changes when we “vote”. If these two candidates had donated the money spent on attack adds to the people instead of bashing each other to Tuesday, we’d probably be in better shape than we are in now and will be once the “votes” are counted. The system is broken. I respect the right to “vote”, but until every vote really counts… you can count me out.
HAPPY
24″ x 24″ Mixed Media on Metal
Look around you, are you happy with what you have? Are the things you’ve bought enough to make you not sad? Do you ever find yourself down and feeling lost? Go spend a little cash, doesn’t matter what it costs? Can the diamond ring on your finger with the shine replace the person who died digging it out from the mine? Are you happy? Does your fancy car with the leather seats and the heat make you forget about the people with no shoes on their feet? Are you happy? I hope your family and your friends are all you really need. I hope you value the water you drink and the air that you breath. I hope the love that’s all around gives you its embrace. I hope when you walk by there’s a smile on your face. Be happy…
BELLY Photographs
Beauty unseen, unseen beauty. I wish you knew what you were doing to me. Time has never gone by so fast and taken forever in the same moment. Visions of you plastered in the minds of people you don’t even know yet. I hope she has his hair. I hope she has her eyes. I just hope that she comes out and everything is fine. Getting so close, counting down the days. Can’t wait to hold you, can’t wait to say… this is my little girl… she’s beautiful.
BOTTLES & TREES
10″ x 14″ Mixed Media on Wood
Woke up under you with bottles all around. Searched my pockets for a clue, but a clue was never found. Looked around on the ground made some grunts and some sounds. Must of clowned around, cause my head just pounds and pounds. Don’t know how many, but they musta been goin’ down. Thank God I passed out, I think I could’ve drown. Don’t know how I ended up under you in this town. Probably had a good time, but now I wear a frown. My head hurts… ow.
FESTIVAL PEOPLE
18″ x 30″ Mixed Media on Board
See you dancin’, wave your arms. Hair is flowin’ in the sun. Flyin’ free, you are so there. See you dancin’ free of care. See you singin’, shoutin’ out. Words are flowin’, makin’ sounds. Singin’ free you are so there. See you singin’ free of care. Festival people you are so free. Dancin’ and singin’ like you want to be. Free of care. Free of care. Dancin’. Singin’. You are so there…
CAN’T KILL HER
18″ x 18″ Mixed Media on Board
She has been here longer than anyone can guess. Science thinks it knows and religion does its best. Seasons change, cycles come and go. It gets hotter, it gets colder, burned by the sun, buried by the snow. Are we the cause of all the mess? Or are we just a side effect? Have we been here years before? Are we holding on or just letting go? We can’t kill her, she is powerful, she is strong. She fights back and lets us know when we are doing wrong. Heats you up and beats you up and sends another storm. Shuts your power off when you are trying to stay warm. Treat her good, she’ll reciprocate the goodness back to you. Treat her wrong, feel her wrath, the worst will come for you.