​The practice of oil painting and sculpting in mediums such as clay, plaster, and stone allows me to learn about myself through an exploration into my heritage. I create art to understand my place as a black indigenous person of color living in the United States and to tackle the historical biases that have been passed down my family’s ancestry. My Great Grandpa, along with his brothers and sisters, were born on the Taos Pueblo. Tragically, their birth records were destroyed in a house fire that occurred when they were growing up, so now my family doesn't have legal proof of our heritage. This is just another way indigenous people have been gentrified over time, but this has not kept my ancestors from passing down traditions and knowledge of our roots. Consequently, activism has become an integral part of my identity and artistic practice. I often create work to not only understand this part of my heritage, but all parts of my Indigenous, Mexican, African American, and French ancestry and how they intersect to create the person I am today. I am inspired by my friends, family and peers who live to uncover truths about themselves. I am interested in oral histories, and the ways that these learned narratives have impacted my life and the lives of those around me. I tend to paint and sculpt in expressive ways to give myself the freedom in both application and concept to use the artworks as a means to ruminate on the ways that my chosen subject matter informs my own interests of self exploration. Through this practice I tap into many implicit biases that have come from generations of ancestral trauma. Cognitively realizing these biases allows me to not only free my mind from a cycle of hate but my ancestors who have been on this journey for generations. Art making is a luxury, but being able to make sense of my own identity while facilitating a viewing space for others to explore their own identities and biases is the biggest luxury.