‘𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞/𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞)’ - 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧/𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞 𝟓 𝐟𝐭 𝐱 𝟒 𝐟𝐭, 𝐎𝐢𝐥, 𝐈𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬: Everyone, From Children to spouses, Homes and houses Uprooted more than uplifted. Ctrl’d, Alt, delete, Then of course, evidently Shft’d. I see the ghosts of what use to be, And High rises with high prices Are surely of no use to me, They weren’t for us truthfully, So Ruthlessly I walk through the street, The one called ‘memory lane’, Its strange how it doesn’t feel quite the same And everyone’s unfamiliar, No kinfolk, More white blokes, Can’t quite cope, And new builds built perpendicular Also known as; The gentrified signature. I can no longer walk in denial. The truth, Much like the sun, Can only remain hidden for a while. A better future promised Through poetic purgery, Residents left With a broken heart That’s Damaged beyond ‘Heart repair surgery’… No more mr jones grocery store, Because wholefoods Is whole felt A whole lot more. Elephants with no castles? Adjusting to new surroundings That I recognised in the days Of being just a rascal. No more community park, No where to walk, smoke and think after dark… We were just some flowers growing in the garden of ‘endz’, It wasn’t always fruitful but it was fun to pretend. Till They hoisted us by our stems And severed our roots, even had the audacity to clip us by our shoots And now I wonder… If I should save up for stocks? It seems like a rational remedy, So Buying back the blocks Can become my new Retail therapy… But till then They’ll use force by any means, So we kiss goodbye to the home of our Childhood dreams, A disease it seems, One that spreads like wild fire, Inescapable, With no chance of a vacation, I’ll never forget that man-made my worst nightmare, The one called; ‘gentrification’.

𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 ‘𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫’ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 (𝐀 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬) (𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏), - 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞 (sold) 𝟒𝟎 𝐱 𝟔𝟎𝐜𝐦, 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬; Story behind the painting: I started this piece 5 years ago, and left it for about 4 1/2 years… at the time, all I wanted to do is try paint something I felt an ‘artist’ would paint, though my heart wasn’t in it, my mind was. So my friend, who is a black woman, came and posed for me, which was amazing to me at the time because I thought this is what real artists do but like I said my heart wasn’t in it… I struggled both skill wise and due to her fair skin tone, trying to depict her in a way I thought a black woman should be, and that’s my mistake, because her as herself IS a representation of what a black woman is. After what felt like a defeat I left that painting for years, but throughout them, I’ve had many conversations with my friends and this friend in particular, about the inclusion of black people within the black community and a conversation that isn’t brought up enough is colourism within our community. I read this book called Layers of blackness by Dr. Deborah Gabriel about colourism within the African Diaspora, about the internal prejudices we as a people can show towards our own and why. It’s rooted deeper than we think. In todays world, We exclude those who don’t fit the criteria of what we THINK is a good representation of us. From music interest, food, the way we speak and even skin tone…. I find that all we do is add to the oppression that comes from outside and project it onto our own communities. So as a last painting of the year, I wanted to finish this piece and leave it as a reminder, that moving forward let’s still have these conversations and embrace every shade and every layer of who we are, as a people.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧 (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏) - 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧/𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞 𝟒𝟎”𝐱𝟒𝟎”, 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬; “What does it mean to be innocent? What does it mean to be a child? One is mandatory The other is a choice, Both are states of mind. I reminisce on days of Looking after Gods creatures, I cared for them as if they were my own, Sworn to protect, sworn to feed and nurture And on my life, to never leave alone. Accidental murder is what happened next, Over feeding of my love, To my loves I believe is what made God vexed. But it wasn’t on purpose, Am I now a sinner at 6 years old? Have I broketh the commandant The bible once foretold; ‘Thou shall not murder’. Troubling, I am only a child but I feel as though I Should be on death row, The taking of an innocent life deserves punishment, The law of the land says so, Uttered by the words of my elders who’ve come before me, And I dare not argue back, Every child must bare their first sin, The breaking of life’s contract”

2nd time showing in South Africa this year, and an honour to be part of @fnbartjoburg, Africas longest and Oldest art fair, that only shows the best works, galleries and artists… alongside my family @eclecticacontemporary, it’s an honour to share a space with some of the best Artists/galleries in motherland and beyond… thank you to everyone person who came and showed out and showed some love, I’ll remember every conversation… and thank you to my buyer, grateful for blooming into the future to be going to a beautiful home also… to many more wins in the remaining months of 2023 for us all 🥂💐

Close ups of ‘Blooming into the future’; 1. Coke Can Petal Curlers 2. Teenage Son with baby seed formula 3. Dads Travel Business Case 4. Sweet Daughter with Milo baby formula 5. Power to the people cap 6. The children (seeds) 7. The children drew a sun 8. A proud daughters achievement (English Literature Exam Results) 9. Baby seeds have grown 10. Baby Bees first flight

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫) (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑) 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧/𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞 𝟒𝟎” 𝐱 𝟒𝟎”, 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬; I admit; I was once one out for the gusto, Succumbing to temptations of the flesh And idolising lust though, These are the not the standards I hold for myself. it would seem I’ve allowed King Solomon’s ideology to place them On a near, but distant shelf. How many concubines to comprise True happiness? One lover, under covers With an array of seeds is true happy bliss. Kiss after kiss, Gaze after gaze, Held between you and I consistently Is realer than A new face every other day I guess I never knew what I had till You left Little did I know Even on my worst days You were trying to bring out my best. But you met resistance From I. Now I’m surrounded by strangers, none who are mates to thy-own soul, Now I’m surrounded by takers, None whom I can see they and I growing old. Empty relationships? I know I’m finished with. Unhappy dictatorships? Sounds so ridiculous. I come back to you, but not as a retreat, Only due to fact that with you, It was then I was truly complete. Forgive my negligence, And let us never look back, Can we photosynthesis into The idea of a future With little ones, a home and all of that? Stormin’ through any weather, Truly living Al Green lyrics of; ‘let’s Stay together’, And Before the end And we lay in our tomb Let us plant seeds Let me bless your womb, So no man can separate what we create. Allow me to be your true love introducer, Thoughts thunk, thinking about you and I, Blooming into the future.

Current favourite paintings and works; 1. Andre Masson - In the Tower of Sleep 2. Kerry James Marshall - Spotlight 3. Jacek Yerka - Learning Walk 4. Thomas Hart Benton - Hollywood 5. Kara Walker - a drawing from her show ‘drawings’ in 2021 6. Diego Rivera - Portrait of Natasha 7. Jacob Lawrence - Shoemaker 8. Heironymous Bosch - Hell (zoomed in, taken from the painting ‘Garden of earthly delights’) 9. Alberto Giacometti - City Square l 10. Kerry James Marshall - Beach Towel

Thank you Bombay Sapphire for this creative experience, from custom made menus and coasters with my work on it to also exhibiting my first polyptych work in a 5 star cocktail bar. If you’re in London before 24th September, go and check out my installation at @silverleaf_bar (on the 3rd floor, Devonshire House, 3 Bishopgate, London EC2M 4AJ) for yourself, enjoy a custom cocktail inspired by the painting created by the bar staff and hopefully, get inspired. Creative inspiration is everywhere and working on this project with Bombay Sapphire has reminded me that if we take a moment to really take in the world around us – there is a limitless pool of inspiration that we can find. All it takes is reframing how you look at things. I was inspired by Silverleaf to create a polyptych canvas which explored the idea of first dates and relationships, from the loud music to miscommunication and awkwardness. A piece that allowed me to even draw from my personal experiences. @bombaysapphireuk #sawthismadethis #ad

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 (𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞) - 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧/𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞 for @bombaysapphireuk and @silverleaf_bar lounge 𝟑𝟗” 𝐱 𝟏𝟓𝟕” 𝐎𝐢𝐥, 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬; Companions, commitments And relationships Things I’ve had But still no saving it. Back when Roses were red, Now a washed out hue, The colour of passion had fled When i finally got over you, I freed myself from every version You came in, Wigs, braids or fro, Black, white, Asian or Spanish, The last I believe was female Latino, It didn’t matter, After a while it all became the same, Consistently a player in the game That you made… Ruining it for those with true intention, And I hate to mention That; I never planted seeds with those who’d Tend to my garden, A habit of building with those Who begged no pardon, Though I pardoned and begged, Maybe cause ‘Nice guy’ is the term thats often said And I would never give a chance To those who lent their heart In purest form, Though adorned, Succumbing to lust is a habit Had a chance to have something real, But ignorance is the thing that didn’t let me grab it. So I say Life is costly, As I reminisce on what it cost me Some advice is; Find the one, and split that bill, Red flags raised when all you give still does not fulfill, And you can feel it in your heart, You probably knew from the start. I did… On the journey of; Looking for a young Kathleen Cleaver, But every other has been a certified/note worthy/hoodwinking deceiver But remember and listen, You’ll not find what you need through Skins making friction, It can become an addiction, Plus your standards don’t give permission; So I’m Trying to be the best version of me and Do better, Expressing words of wisdom through Poetry love letter… I say all this to say, Know your worth and stay true, Otherwise roses are put to bed And violets remain blue.

Happy to announce I’ve been working with @bombaysapphireuk to create a piece for @silverleaf_bar at @panpacificlondon as part of their #sawthismadethis campaign, which is now on viewing until 24th September. The inspiration came from Silver Leaf itself and the surrounding environment, which got me thinking about dates in this generation and the kind of funny conversations that can occur. Together we created something atmospheric and unique and I’m grateful to have created something that embodies the times alongside a brand of the times also! #ad

+1 🎈🎉 Another year added of wisdom and growth, grateful for the journey so far, excited for what’s to come

Lol, mood #wip