Paintings

Muhammad Ali Summit

Acrylic paint, oil pastel, baking soda, and Mod Podge

14 in x 11 in

2025

Artist Statement

This is the next piece in my ongoing series where I’ve been focusing on experimentation and play—especially with texture. The subject matter itself felt like a new kind of experiment for me. I’ve always enjoyed sports documentaries—basketball ones in particular. While watching one about either Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I learned about their involvement in the Cleveland Summit. Also known as the Muhammad Ali Summit, it was organized in response to Ali’s refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War. I’ve always had tremendous respect for athletes simply for their dedication to their craft. But the ones who use their platform to take a stand for social or political justice deserve deeper appreciation for how they impact humanity. Seeing a photo of these three stars together at the summit moved me to paint them. The piece sat around unfinished for months, until I saw an artist mix baking soda into their paint to create texture that lifted away from the canvas. It felt like the perfect moment to bring an experimental process into a piece that already represented new ground for me. The baking soda gave the surface a sandy, matte quality, which I ended up sealing with a final layer of Mod Podge to give it a glossy finish instead.

Caring to Play

Acrylic paint and oil stick on canvas 

12 in x 16 in

2025

Artist Statement

This is the first piece in what’s turning into a new series—though it might be more of a prequel than a true part of the body of work. The series started somewhat accidentally and is still unfolding. I’ve been trying to push myself to experiment more, to loosen up, and just play with painting. I began with a simple face sketch using a black oil stick—something I’ve only dabbled with before. The acrylic paint blended into those lines in unexpected ways, which I ended up liking. The hair was probably the most fun to work on. I layered subtly different colors over and over, and with each pass, the depth grew. It was one of the liveliest parts of the process, even though it was repetitive. The odd purple circles came from a goopy tube of paint that had partially separated. They remind me of marbles, which I associate with magic and wonder. There’s also a quiet theme of reuse in this piece. Most of the paint came from old, half-used bottles a former landlord gave me—stored in a big, empty Folger’s coffee tub.