>> MY WORK IS VERY MUCH FIGURATIVE.

I MAKE REALLY BIG PAINTINGS AND I USUALLY CAPTURE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW.

MY COLOR PALETTE IS SUPER VIBRANT, SO THAT IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE THE FIRST THING PEOPLE SEE AND NOTICE ABOUT MY ART.

THE VIBRANCY IS REALLY JUST SPEAKING TO THE LIKENESS BECAUSE MY SUBJECT MATTER IS A LITTLE HEAVY.

I TALK ABOUT SELF TRANSFORMATION, AND ACCEPTING THE PSYCHE OF A PERSON.

SO, IT CAN BE HEAVY STUFF BECAUSE I AM PULLING FROM LIVED EXPERIENCES, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES I AM PULLING FROM, SO THAT COLOR PALETTE BEING LIGHT AND BRIGHT, THAT MAGENTA, THAT BRIGHT PINK COLOR, IT JUST SPEAKS TO THAT LIGHTNESS, TO LIGHT UP THE ENTIRE AFTERNOON.

I WAS IN THE COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN AND I WAS KIND OF LOST IN SCHOOL AND REALLY ATTRACTED TO FIGURATIVE WORK, SO THAT WAS ALWAYS MY THING.

BUT, MY iPAD IS WHAT HELPED MY UNDERSTAND THE LEVELS THAT I COULD GO TO WITH ART, THE LAYERING, THE COLORING AND EVERYTHING.

WE WERE WALKING AROUND, I WAS WITH DAVID AND GAVIN AND WE WERE JUST KIND OF DOING OUR ADVENTURE, JUST KIND OF EXPLORING THE CITY AND I SAW THIS GUY WITH A STRAW HAT, AND, YOU KNOW, HE JUST --I WAS DRAWN TO HIM BECAUSE HE LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING I HAD ALREADY VISUALIZED.

I KIND OF HAD THIS IDEA OF COMING TO WHAT I WANTED TO CAPTURE, SO HE WAS LIKE THE PICTURE PERFECT MOMENT.

I DECIDED TO ASK HIM FOR A PICTURE.

IT IS AN AWKWARD EXCHANGE.

LIKE, YOU ARE AN AMERICAN, THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW YOU ARE AMERICAN, AND YOU HAVE THIS CAMERA, AND THEY ARE LIKE -- YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT TO FEEL LIKE YOU ARE EXPLOITING THEM, IN A WAY.

SO, YOU KNOW, HE WAS JUST KIND.

HE WAS KIND ABOUT IT.

SO, I TOOK TWO SHOTS OF HIM, HE TOOK THE CIGAR OUT OF HIS HOUSE --MOUTH AT ONE POINT AND I DIRECTED HIM TO PUT IT BACK IN HIS MOUTH, SO IT IS DOING WHAT I DO, STAGING AND DIRECTING PEOPLE, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I DO AT MY WORK.

THERE WAS A BLUE BUILDING BEHIND HIM, SO THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH COLOR TO WORK WITH, WHICH ALSO CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF KING GEORGE.

AND USUALLY, WHEN I DO THIS, I AM LITERALLY DOING THIS AS IF I WAS GOING TO DO IT ON CANVAS.

SO, THIS IS LIKE, THE OVERALL SKETCH.

AND THEN, SO, I KIND OF STARTED FILLING IN HIS SKIN.

AND SO, THIS IS KIND OF CLOSE TO WHAT I AM GOING TO BE USING.

THERE ARE SOME PURPLES IN HERE, THERE ARE SOME LAVENDER'S IN THERE, WORKING WITH THE SHADOWS THAT ARE FALLING ON HIS FACE.

AT THE MAGENTA HOSE AND THE LIGHT PINKS.

SO, THIS IS THE COLOR PALETTE I USUALLY DO WORK WITH WHEN I AM MAKING MY FIGURES.

AND THEN, IN THE BACKGROUND HERE, THERE IS THIS TEXTURE OF OIL PASTEL, SO I AM GOING TO BE USING OIL PASTEL FOR THAT.

AND I AM GOING TO BE USING SOME OIL PASTEL IN HIS SKIN, AS WELL, IT IS REALLY COOL BECAUSE YOU CAN PICK DIFFERENT PENCILS, AND PASTELS, AND THEY CAN KIND OF IMITATE WHAT THAT TEXTURE LOOKS LIKE.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW I GREW UP, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE THINGS I WENT THROUGH, I ALWAYS LOOK AT IT AS A MEANS OF KIND OF SHIFTING MY PURPOSE IN LIFE.

AND I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE GET TO THAT SAME FEELING.

WE ALL HAVE LIKE, TRAUMA, EXPERIENCES, BIG OR SMALL, THAT SHAPE WHO WE ARE, AND I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO FIND THAT CORE SELF.

EVEN OUTSIDE OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH.

I AM MOTIVATED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW NOT TO ATTACH THEMSELVES TO THOSE EXPERIENCES, AND BECOME YOUR OWN SELF.

I WOULD SAY, THE BIGGEST THING IS THE SPIRITUALITY ASPECT.

AND WHEN I SAY "SPIRITUALITY," I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT RELIGION.

I'M TALKING ABOUT LITERALLY, WE ALL HAVE A SPIRIT.

LIKE, WE ALL DO.

AND I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGEST THING, CAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF THAT PERSON.

YOU ARE GOING TO SEE THAT PIECE.

SO, I LOVE THAT PART OF MY WORK.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SPIRITUAL PERSON.

IT'S POSSIBLE, TO BE FROM ANY BACKGROUND, ANY RACE, OR WHATEVER, A RELIGION, WHATEVER BELIEF YOU HAVE, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED IN SOME WAY, BY OUR STORIES.

AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE JUST CAN SEE THROUGH THE ART AT THE SAME TIME, REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY ARE.

I WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL SEEN.