The Ancestors in the Paint series emerged at the confluence of face pareidolia, ancestor veneration, movement, and jazz + blues + R&B music. Each painting begins with a song that I must feel in my bones, my heart, and my soul. Nothing in this series is pre- conceived or sketched out. The rhythms, melody, lyrics, and instrumental arrangements in each song inform the colors of the painting. For example, “Mack the Knife” called for russet tones of dried blood while Sly & the Family Stone’s “Higher” insisted on a lot of psychedelic red. While listening to a song, the music moves through my body, out of my hands, and onto the canvas. It gets messy. Read more>