American History, 2013
Acrylic and mixed media on panel
36 × 36 in
Private collection

American History is a mixed media work created over a found object: a cheaply framed floral print purchased at a second hand store. Beneath the plexiglass surface, the original brown decorative image remains partially visible under layers of aggressive brushwork and palette knife marks.

The decision to paint over this image is intentional. The floral print represents the ornamental surface of history, the stories that are made visible and comfortable. Beneath that surface, however, lie histories shaped by enslavement, coercion, violence, and power.

By layering paint over the existing image rather than removing it, the work reflects how these histories are often obscured but never erased. Fragments of color collide and accumulate across the surface, suggesting competing narratives that continue to shape the present.

American History asks viewers to consider what lies beneath the stories a nation chooses to display, and what remains hidden within its cultural memory.