RAW BROOKLYN: EN MASSE SHOWCASE SNAPSHOTS

I recently participated in the  one night RAWBrooklyn En Masse Showcase in Williamburg, Brooklyn produced by the indie art organization RAWArtists. I showcased as one of many other visual artists for my city at the Output Club on August 14th.

 Several artists and a lot of energy and opportunities to receive a lot of conversations about your art was a perk that I received from participating in the show. I was finally able to showcase some of my pieces for the first time that night. It was nice to display fresh fruits that I haven been hiding under wraps for a while.

Take a peak...

Packing up my work. Queen Of the City (left) and With These Hands (right).

Left Eye Tribute (top left), "In A Paperboy", "With These Hands" "Badu, Gaga, Chrisette",, "Godess Immersed", "Chaka" and "Diana (bottom right) on the table top.

Painting at Budwieser Made In America NYC Party!

Summer has been a great journey of growth. I had to push myself beyond what I have had to once do in the past. I have been given some good opportunities to showcase my work and have learned much more about myself and my audience in the process. 

I was chosen as the artist to do a live painting on a guitar during a concert event. Little did I know how major it was going to be. I was chosen to paint the New York guitar during the New York City concert stop on the Budweiser Made in America Tour at the Roseland Ballroom. Given a 6 hour time frame, I decided to freestyle my concept and dedicated my approach to the hustle and bustle experiences many have living in New York. It's the Land of Opportunity and taking chances as a New Yorker, has inspired me throughout the process. The mindblowing part about the experience was that what I was painting was happpening to me-- a chance taken. It was truly an amazing experience and I am so grateful to be apart of it.

The festival curated by Jay-Z took place at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in my hometown Philadelphia, PA from Aug 31-Sept 1st.  All of the 29 tour guitars made their way to the Budweiser Beer Garden where they were showcased for the Festival.

A big thank you to Big Shoulders Video and Budweiser for having me as a part of this experience!

Check out these pics from the event and tour and the time lapse video of my process.

Quick picture after painting live.

Photo Courtesy of Budwieser

The guitar showcased at the Beer Garden at the Made In America Festival

See all of the guitar time lapses and interviews featured on Budweiser's Youtube Channel! 

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Gap Kids | Back to Cool Event

I was selected along with two other talented local New York artists to create custom designs originally created by Cat Seto, the founder of Ferme a Papier. The energy was great and it was lovely to see the reaction from the designs we were creating. It's always good to do something that has a special effect on someone. I loved the experience. 

We worked with Deco Markers, oil based fabric markers and put our own flair into it for each guest customizing their design with an initial of their name or custom colored replica of Cat Seto's concept illustrations.

Here are some pics from the event!

Working on a few designs for a very specific kid ;)

Whitney| The Golden Voice

"Whitney | The Golden Voice"

9" x 12" 

Gouache on Paper

For the Love of Legends

I had an interesting conversation with my neighbors about the longevity of talents in the music business being something that they felt us "young folks" need to look out for. We discussed several artists in the music genre that I have yet to hear of-- most of them popular one or two generations back. I love so much of the legendary American musicians noted during our talk but I have always been fond of the mega solo female artists of the past in especially in regard to the 60s and 70s.

Often captivated by the impact of their time in the music business, I am so inspired by the stepping talents of powerhouse singers or "sangers" to complete entertainers. Listening to their music definitely takes me to a different place, often free of the worries of the present moment.

I decided to capture Chaka Khan and Diana Ross during Black History Month. I wanted to pay homage to them as icons in the music industry. My favorite Chaka tune? Ain't Nobody! It's harder for me to pick with Diana but I must say it would probrably be a Motown-Supreme era tune...

"Chaka" 

"Diana"