I was born and raised in the South Bronx during the 70’s when it was burning down. Those days left indelible impressions in my mind and heart that I will cherish down till this day. Many of these memories included the sound of congas echoing off the project walls, late into the summer evenings; riding the trains to and from high school, which introduced me to an evolution of graffiti on subway cars that acted as portable art galleries. Then, there were the smells of our “comidas creoles de Puerto Rico” that permeated my native hallways.

My neighborhood was rich with Puerto Rican and African American culture that brought excitement into my young imagination. Although people spoke abusively about the Bronx during the seventies, I could only find good in my environment, much like “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”.

These memories; these cultures rich in history, art, food, and dance, have influenced the way I paint with a papyri of never ending subject matter. A subject matter filled with affection & storytelling; captured with an abundant use of light, darkness, and refracted colors that can only be provided by a place like, “The Bronx.”