ARTIST STATEMENT

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I personally have never been a part of a Gang, however, I have had many friends, acquaintances, classmates, and some distant family members who did get "caught up" in the lifestyle.  Sadly, most are no longer with us, and or are locked up  from their decisions they made  a "lifetime" ago.  Just a very few have made it out of the "lifestyle", but they are still paying price with old physical and emotional scars.

 

I created the painting from the point of view, that as humans, choosing to live the "lifestyle" shows the tremendous need for the sense of "belonging"  that our souls inherently  crave.  Even under the most dire circumstance, our need for love and acceptance can often get confused for the false loyalty and fear that is prevalent in the lifestyle.

 

 

G is for Gang, when the need for belonging and love and acceptance, outweighs the reality of fear, pain, and death.