Summers playing with my friends were some of the best days of my life! In between playing, we used to rest on electric transformer boxes and drink from spigots and water hoses. The big boys gave us haircuts and taught us to repair our bikes and, this one time, gave us their unwanted reflectors and pocket knives. A group of us rode our bikes to other neighborhoods to play games of football that often turned into tournaments that would last all weekend long! In difficult times, childhood memories have the ability to assure that the joy we experienced as kids lives on within us.
My collages inspires nostalgia and joy! In the same way our memories and experiences make up the parts of our personalities, collage combines disparate elements into a complex new whole while preserving the material integrity of its individual parts. Saturated colors and dynamic figures imitate picture books but, this seemingly innocent imagery includes my social commentary on race and poverty. I focus on the relationships of Black American children: the relationships they have with each other, family, the community and, most importantly, with the environment in which they live, grow and, play.
