inside the studio

Playing with “Bioforms”

When I received the commission from the Journal of Biological Psychiatry (Yale University) to create six cover images for their inaugural initiative to center the stories of Black and Brown people, I began a series of experiements with different mediums. I knew that I wanted the images resonate as a series, collectively, and that they should stand out as separate from my other works. I also felt compelled to speak to the historical, spiritual and scientific braid between the artistic themes that were resonant in my studio practice at the time and the directed research topics discussed in the academic journal. 

I used ink, charcoal, graphite, and oil paint to create the final works. For me, the ephemeral qualities of some of the materials, such as charcoal, speak to the human condition at the core of all layers of spiritual and scientific inquiry. We are in a constant state of flux; like these works of art, we shed elements of our being daily as we decay. The concept is both haunting and beautiful. While the six final works have a cohesive appearance, it took some trial and error for me to decide on a “formula” for the series. The following selected works show the series in progress, in addition to other experimental works that were created as part of my process.