HAWT: What is one piece of advice you've received as an artist that still remains with you?
AV: Paint from your heart
HAWT: What artist living or dead would be your dream collaborator?
AV: Albert Bierstadt
HAWT: What is your favorite part of your creative process when working on something new?
AV: When I let my hands perform magic
HAWT: What's one thing that has stood out to you about Casa Frela Gallery?
AV: Its freedom
HAWT: What was the moment you knew you had to pursue art professionally?
AV: After I went on a soul-searching trip to the west coast, I finally realised that without art I can't breathe
Personal Statement
I’m a Harlem-based artist that creates surrealist, expressionistic and native pieces of art. I love using heavy impasto brushstrokes with bright, deep colour and tones to show the evolution of human emotions. Since I was a child, I've always been fascinated by legends, maps, and landscapes. All three deeply influenced my art.
I paint because that’s what I was born to do. With art, I commune with my soul. Without it, I am incomplete.