🎍 As Tall As A Tree🎍

Acrylic of canvas

48 in. x 60 in.

2019

A recurring theme within my work is the notion of family and the bonds we share amongst siblings. Growing up in a Haitian household as the fourth one in a family of five children, my home has always hectic and full of love. I’ve lived with my siblings my entire life and although we share the same blood, we are widely different from one another. Nonetheless, I think that us being so dissimilar from each other inspires me to come up with interesting concepts such as “As Tall as a Tree”.

The concept for “As Tall as a Tree” came to me on an afternoon while I was lost in a daze. For some reason, I couldn’t shake the image of a tree out of my head and from there decided to play and expand on the idea. “As Tall as a Tree” is based off of my youngest brother, who as a child, used to constantly compare our heights to see if he was getting taller. By the time, he reached his teenage years, he finally towered over me and I started feeling a distance between us. Amongst my siblings, my brother and I share the biggest bond but there are days when I feel that I don't know him at all. Throughout the years the disconnect in our relationship gradually expanded leaving us doing fewer activities together. It was tough at first, but with time, I understood that the problem wasn’t with me, but that he needed space to expand and grow into his person.

Unconsciously, this painting became my way of coping with the fact that he doesn't need to rely on me as much as he used to. Today, our relationship is stronger than ever and I enjoy the times we spend joking and laughing together.