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.