From the Artist

This print is based on a series of drawings derived from turn off the century (early 20th) photos of African American residents of Anniston, Alabama, my place of birth. I cannot specifically identify this man but do feel a certain kinship beyond the coincidence of locality. To me he is toiling, struggling to succeed. He holds a bit of self-assuredness, confidence but also a variety of influences, experiences that identify him. Thus, the reason for the various "patches" of patterns shown. So even though this person could be thought of as an "instant ancestor" he could also be a self-portrait, and it is my intent that he works in a similar fashion for the viewer of this work.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records

Content is derived from reflecting on similarities and differences in cultures. Specifically, the imagery reflects the complicated definition of being African American in an increasingly global community. The figures are anonymous portraits of characters or types, who could be family members, either yours or mine. There are clues to identities, patterns viewed in the clothing or the surrounding space, historical African or European objects, all placed in ways that support the figures. For myself, one’s identity is an accumulation of cultures one meets both directly and indirectly.
—Excerpted from https://www.umusetsu.org/artfaculty2016, accessed 6-18-2021