Your Lil Friends

My latest solo show is currently on view at Hemphill Artworks in Washington D.C. until October 25, 2025. It’s titled “Your Lil Friends”. The show consists of mixed media collages that center Black American children living in a public housing neighborhood. It’s been years since I exhibited in D.C. and, since it’s the town where my professional career began, I’m very excited to share this work with the D.C. community! So, if you’re in the area, the gallery is located at 434 K St. NW.

The annual workshop at my old elementary school is in the works! Next Spring will mark the sixth consecutive year that I’m sharing Collage Art with the kids currently living in my old neighborhood. Honestly, this is my favorite work-related activity! The kids are always so excited. They’re very talented and fearlessly creative and I’m always impressed and inspired by the artwork they create! I’d like to do more kids workshops locally and have been looking into state requirements (certification and such) for teaching classes in Baltimore. If you’re aware of any Baltimore organizations where I could possibly teach, please let me know.

A sequel to the kids book I illustrated some years ago (A Beard Like My Dad) is also underway. It’s a completely different way of working. Shifting from gallery work to this project is a little jarring and I’ve had some challenges. The biggest problem is space. I’ve been working from home for the last 2 years. With my next art studio, I will try to get a large enough space that I can designate areas for different projects to work on simultaneously. I think I need that.

About the show, Your Lil Friends, this time, I wanted to highlight the innocence of childhood because I feel Black children are too often victims of Adultification Bias, meaning, they are perceived as more mature their actual age. I think often of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old Black boy who was shot and killed by a white police officer while he was playing with a toy gun. One of the goals was to remind viewers that Black children are deserving of protection and society should allow them the innocence of their childhood.

Go check it out!