“My work elevates Black identity through sacred visual language, transforming portraiture into acts of reverence and restoration. I paint Black figures independently, crowned, radiant, and mythic, using bold figuration, spiritual symbolism, and ancestral references to affirm inherent divinity and worth.
Blending biblical symbols with African aesthetics, I connect the sacred and modern by reinterpreting Eve’s wisdom, divine royalty, and haloed heroes. Golds, crowns, and glories serve as affirmations of legacy and spiritual significance, rather than simple decoration. Broken glass fragments embedded within the work reflect both fracture and resilience, catching light to create new forms of radiance from what was shattered.
Each canvas serves as a space where memory, identity, and spirituality meet, questioning perceptions and honoring sacred imagery in Black experience. By blending traditional painting with fragmented glass, my art explores power, presence, and modern myth, turning brokenness into brilliance.
I create portrait-based paintings rooted in Black memory, mythology, and spiritual symbolism. My work reimagines sacred and everyday moments through the lens of Afrocentric royalty, ancestral power, and divine presence. Each piece is an affirmation — of identity, legacy, and worth.”
Contemporary Figurative Painter | Symbolic Storytelling
Instagram: @dsactheartist
Education
Bachelors of Visual Arts – East Tennessee State University
Exhibitions
2022 – Reflections: African American Voices on the Past and Present, [The Living Arts & Science Center], [Lexington, KY]
2022 – The Blueprint Exhibitions (Pop-Up), [Levels Audo Art Experience], [Cleveland, OH]
2021 – Artist Exhibition [One Line Coffee Printing and Sourcing], [Columbus, OH]
Awards & Honors
Regional Gold Key in Scholastic 2005
Skills & Techniques
– Portraiture & figurative painting
– Acrylic, oil, and mixed media
– Story-driven visual narrative
