About Me…

Art has helped me to say everything I needed to say without words; it’s given me that sense of freedom that I’ve always dreamed about. Everything that I’ve created has been inspired by past experiences. Art has always acted as a therapeutic method for me to express what I couldn’t say out loud. I have always been fascinated with the arts from the moment I received my first box of crayons. I remember running away from classes when I was in high school, hiding in the art room. At an early age, I became fascinated with Pablo Picasso, his work inspired me to begin painting. After graduating high school, I attended the University of the West Indies in Trinidad pursuing a degree in Biochemistry. 

After some self-revelation, I grasped the fact that I have always been happiest was when I engaged myself in something artistic. I decided to switch degrees. For the next two years, I completed an Associate’s Degree in Visual Arts; learning and being mentored by some of the greatest Caribbean Artists. I somehow managed to find peace and serenity in religion. 

I began neglecting my personal life and burned the midnight oil to achieve something beautiful; something I really wanted. I implemented my faith and my beliefs in the Hindu religion to create something I thought was immensely beautiful. With a variety of brush techniques, vibrant colors and countless sleepless nights, I created my first collection, Ganesha, four tremendous pieces that portrayed the God that gave me the strength to wake up in the morning and deal with the everyday struggles that were thrown at me face first.

The day where Ganesha was exhibited to hundreds of people would be one I’d never forget. A viewer of the Ganesha collection connected with me and purchased the entire collection. When coming to the realization that I could do better with more than one aspect of my life I made some extreme life decisions.

With my newly-found funds, I packed my bags and purchased a one way ticket to New York City. Moving to New York from Trinidad was a massive culture shock; people talked differently, such a variety of different foods from different cultures. A huge factor of my moving to New York was my mom. She always wanted me to do bigger and better things, and those opportunities were not available to me in Trinidad.

I tried making the best of new beginnings; starting fresh, but the first few months were absolutely dreadful. At that point, I had no strength left and had every urge to move back to Trinidad. Art kept me going; I had multiple sketches on napkins of all the ideas that flooded my mind which all came to life once I was able to stand on two feet.

This series included detailed drawings that highlight both margins of my academic past, done with a variety of materials and mediums that are exceedingly out of my comfort zone. I’ve explored different drawing techniques that I have never done before. This collection was my escape to explore the boundaries of art that I’ve never crossed. With its lack of color and linear work, I tried to illustrate my exasperation with life. These drawings were more than just shrubs and vines growing out of our organs. It represented my history, my upbringing and the agony that I’ve withstood growing up into the woman that I am today. 

Till this day I continue to grow into myself and become the woman, the artist I aspire to be. This is my story; I have endured, I have been broken, I have known hardship and I have lost myself. But here I stand, still willing to move forward, growing stronger everyday.