Mixed Media
I created this piece in 1992, right after finishing high school, during a time when everything felt raw and uncertain. The work blends India ink, watered down acrylics that resemble watercolor, masking tape, and layered photographs and paper copies. The subject is my high school girlfriend, who had recently moved from Florida to New York to pursue modeling. In this piece, I tried to capture the fiercer side of her personality, one that reflected both strength and distance. This artwork was always intended to be paired with another piece titled 1992, as the two were designed to be hung together in conversation with one another. The presence of song lyrics referencing New York was a nod to Dogg Pound’s New York, New York, a track that resonated with the frustration I felt toward the city at the time, a frustration born out of heartbreak and loss.
With distance and time, my perspective has shifted. Back then, I unfairly projected the pain of our relationship’s collapse onto the city itself, holding it responsible for what I had lost. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate New York for what it is, though my heart still feels more at peace in nature, and I find the city difficult to bear after a few days. Super Model, along with 1992, came from my early sketchbooks and would later become part of my college submission portfolio, marking an important step in my journey as an artist. Interestingly, on the reverse side of this very sketchbook page lies another work, The Black Tree, a reminder that even within a single sheet of paper, different chapters of my story coexist.