This painting depicts my personal transformation into feminism. On the surface you would never figure me for a feminist. However when you peel back my wounds, you will see that we all bleed blood and hurt the same way. More importantly, we all possess the same desire to be healed and the superpower to heal others.
I was born into a fucked up narrative. I added to the script by leaving nothing but a trail of hurt and murder behind me before my 20th birthday. When the judge threw the book at me, I closed myself between its covers until feminism opened me up and I began to rewrite my own redemption. I illustrated it with brighter and bolder colors, and on bigger canvases than the carceral state could contain. The sheer size of this piece is an act of resistance. It surpasses the rules and regulations for the allowable painting size done in prison. I painted composite style, each panel in community with several others, but never all at the same time. I worked with what I saw in front of my eyes balanced with the macro painting in my mind. I've never seen the entire painting complete. The fact that you are looking at this painting proves that absolutely nothing could stop an artist determined to atone for his wrongs by helping to heal folks in free society.
This painting was commissioned for the exhibition “Painting Ourselves into Society” at the Berkeley Art Center, 2024.
