As American As…

Pigment stick on stretched canvas, 40” x 29”, 3,500 USD

I completed this painting shortly after the murder of George Floyd by police. I have been very aware of, and a victim of, the racism that exists in this country. It has always been something to navigate; I’m also aware of my own privilege as a light-skinned Latino man. Obviously this is a play on an old saying—As American as Apple Pie—but it’s also a nod to Canadian-American artist Phillip Guston’s paintings of White supremacist Ku Klux Klan members. Formally, I wanted to focus on using a blunt instrument like a thick pigment stick and keep it strictly that.

Curator’s Note: George Floyd, an African-American man, was murdered in 2020 by a White police officer during his arrest. His murder led to worldwide protests against police brutality, police racism, and lack of police accountability.