Haiti

I paint because if I did not I would go crazy. I hate injustice. It burns inside of me and the only way that I can express my anger is with my paint brush. This tidal wave of emotion hits the canvas when I produce one of my hyperealism portraits.
There is no country that has experienced more injustice than Haiti. In 1804 Haiti was the first country in the world that had a successful slave uprising that led to a revolution and the founding of a state which was free from slavery and ruled by non whites and former captives.
Unfortunately the people of Haiti have to continue to fight as foreign interference attempts to cripple Haiti and natural disasters such as the 2010 earthquake and the cholera epidemic batter the country and its resilient people. Despite this the people continue to fight. They have never stopped fighting.
I wanted to create an oil painting fuelled by this injustice, anger and fight. I planned to create the background showing the story of foreign interference in a cartoon style. This is not a cartoon story, this is real. The heartbeat of the painting is the eyes of this child. They pulse with fear, sadness and anger. I used tiny brushes to paint these eyes, every stroke was a layer of emotion. I knew when the eyes were finished because I could feel it, I felt like I was holding a ticking time bomb.
I want the viewer of this painting to see the battle in the eyes of the child and If you understand the injustice that the people of Haiti have had to endure you will see the demand of justice dominating those emotional eyes.

“Haiti” is also available as a signed limited edition print, please see the “Racism and Colonialism” series on the limited edition print section of the website.