“The Lost Years” COLLECTION (1995)

In my mid 20’s I tried to be a full time artist. This is half of the work I produced for my first show after about a year of painting. I experimented with acrylic mixes with  ripped canvas, cut linoleum, gold leaf and sand. I called these the “Lost Years” because life was so uncertain at that time and I felt lost in what I should do with my life. I was torn with the prospect of continuing to struggle as a starving artist or follow another path. The subject matter was heavily influenced by hip-hop music and culture that was part of my life at the time. I lived in an illegal studio in a sketchy building in a sketchy part of Toronto. My neighbor was a heroin addict who had two huge rottweilers that barked nonstop and he blasted White Zombie religiously at 3 am every night. He was also the building superintendent. Despite the chaos,  loved it all.