“LET ME GROW”
EAT.PREY.LOVE. VOL. 3
- This painting has been pre-appraised and is currently for sale.
Date of creation: 11/2024 - 02/2026
Size: 30 x 40” original
Medium/Materials: Acrylic and Oil | Level III Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Matte Varnish with Gloss Varnish on Frame
The Series:
Inspired by real heartbreak, this collection is titled, “Eat.Prey.Love.”, and explores the highs and lows that come with vulnerability, love capacity, mirror work, and healing.
Each painting is an interpretive piece of my experience of love and heartbreak. Striving to transmute relationship trauma through healing expression in art, I seal each painting with affirmations on where I stand years later reflecting on the relationships that molded me.
The Elements:
Yellow Brick Road - paying homage to The Whiz and the road that leads her to herself, I use the yellow bricks to guide the eyes to the hand. The bricks are floating off the canvas to elevate the effect of levitation.
The Frame - the use of frames came to me as a construction engineer if we’re being honest. The way I draw is rooted in my formal training at the College of Architecture and I use that as a foundation when I’m composing my paintings. Many of my collectors are stretching to purchase my art and taking a leap of faith that my art will continue to accrue in value. Knowing that I am always gracious and hungry in the pursuit of more technically ambitious uses of the craft. As I started raising my prices I came across collectors that wanted frames; Floating frames, shadow box frames, all types, shapes, and sizes of frames. The frames were a bit pricey for some of my newer collectors. “How can I offer that illusion of luxury in my paintings?”, I asked myself. “What if I painted the frame…” This became my signature move for high end commissions. I started to play with the ideas of frames. Different materials, perspectives or textures on the frames.
Nail Culture - Cynthia’s character uses her nails as an expressive opportunity to pay homage to black culture and the vanity women embody in their daily fashion. My ex’s hand is used as a reference, however Cynthia’s nail art is the inspiration for the actual nails.
Anatomy - The human body plays a role in the depiction of the poppies and the feminine desire to nurture those who are wounded. Through our wombs, we will always birth love, healing, and beauty. I used elements of fallopian tubes and a womb to create the composition of the top of the heart. The shape of it, I used a mango as the reference - a tribute to a seed my ex gifted me when we moved into our new home. The flowers are the fruit of our love, birthed from the collective investment, which transcended off the canvas.
The Inspiration:
The piece was originally titled “Defying Gravity”, Inspired by the role Cynthia Erivio played as Alphaba in the movie Wicked, this painting serves as Aplhie’s offering to the world that was so cruel to her. Stemming from a relationship where the love and vulnerability was always met with isolation and hurt, I was inspired to include elements of tithes and offering. This painting reflects on the love encounter that confronts your insecurities and transforms your fears into superpowers. Paying homage to the black culture Cynthia bodied was just as important as the color hues and nostalgic elements from the original films.
My Shadow Reflections:
I painted this piece over the course of a toxic two year relationship. I’ve never been loved so deeply… yet so dark. This one confronts a love that breaks your heart every time they reach for it. The offering of a magical spell that is formed not upon request, but born out of love - to grant all of the wishes you speak of but don’t ask for… the impact is often the opposite effect. Have you ever loved someone so wrong??? Not because you intended to, but because every time you extended a hand it hurt them? Plucked your finger on a thorne as you were bringing them a rose? Yeah… this is the kind of space this painting was born from. Many many ego deaths, many many flowers bloomed, many many seeds planted, brick by brick… this love buried me.. and yet still, it let me grow.
Past Exhibitions:
SOLO EXHIBITION (CT) - 07/2023
L.A. FASHION WEEK (CA) - 10/2023
BLACK GIRL ART SHOW (GA) - 08/2025
The third volume of my Eat.Prey.Love series, this floating heart is certainly an evolution from 2023. In both films, when Alphabe channels her strength to shield her sister the result is always levitation. I wanted to use this concept and apply it to the offering and reflection this heartbreak depicts.