“I would describe my work as “familiar surrealism.” I think a majority of my portraiture is realistic but there are some aspects that push it into the make-believe realm. I’m not much of a fan of hyper-realism — I would much rather create something that couldn’t exist in this world. My current work is a cross between Black portraiture and dreamlike flora and fauna.”

“I have dipped my toes into many ponds —if that’s a phrase. The core inspiration behind all of these mediums is my own experience. The poetry in the zines I have printed and my artwork both stem from my feelings and life experiences as an Afro-Hispanic woman. In terms of clothing design, although I sew quite often, it feels like I’m using a different side of my brain. I use the same color schemes across all these mediums but when it comes to fashion design, I am inspired by functionality and sustainability. I am someone that likes to create with their entire body, use the full range of my arms, and somehow I feel like I achieve that through all these mediums — whether I am sprawled out on the floor cutting out a sewing pattern, stretching my arm across a paper trimmer to assemble a zine, or priming a large canvas with gesso. It’s a miracle I haven’t picked up sculpture yet.”

“Accidentally on purpose. I naturally use colors that I am drawn to and think look good together. They just so happen to be blues/teals, pinks, yellows, browns and black, for the majority.”

“This is a two-fold answer. Painting will always be my number 1 medium. Quite frankly, I indulge in being in my own world for hours on end, marinating in a calm state while I paint. I find it to be the most relaxing thing I can do, which is why I do it almost every day, at least once a week. Painting is my meditation and that alone is why I enjoy it so much. BUT, after being alone for hours creating something without any input from any other source, giving it to the world via the internet or an art show and receiving feedback, thoughts, and theories from complete strangers on something I made with my own hands! That is something I never really experienced until recently. I will always paint to paint, but to know that my work has the ability to provoke thought in others is a nice feeling.”

“My process is literally different for every piece. Inspiration can come from song lyrics, a photograph, how I’ve been feeling, or something I saw in a dream I had a couple nights ago. So the beginning stages of a painting or a poem can vary greatly, but when I get going, a day of painting or writing looks relatively similar: I’m usually stretched out on the floor, noise cancelling headphones on, with a playlist or queue lined up and a cup of tea on standby. That will be my position for the next few hours.”

“To me, to take up space means to create work that is true to self, unapologetic, and coming from a place of authenticity. To represent people that may not always see themselves in creative spaces and to be the person that is actively filling that space for them, so they too feel seen.”

“At my first art show, I received comments from people who said they saw themselves in my work and felt like they could relate to the piece. That is really all I could want.”

“I just want to be able to keep painting, build my body of work back up (post my first art show)  and hopefully get the opportunity to do more exhibits in the future. I hope I can dip my toe into other creative outlets like album artwork and merch, book covers, and maybe one day a full clothing line of my own.”