Reach Oil on Paper 23"w x 23"h 2020

During the shutdown, I decided to document the history of my family. Inspired by a "23 and Me" test finding out my children were 53.9% Northwestern European and 45.4% Sub-Saharan African, I set about sleuthing back in time as far as possible, speaking to living relatives and connecting some unexpected dots to create a growing family tree. I painted portraits where I could and story details where no likenesses existed. In my exploration, I found both tragedy and dignity in my own ordinary family's American melting pot.