There’s healing in repetition. Striving for imperfection was both cathartic and the antidote. The Study of Thumbprints (mural) is comprised of over 20,200 gradients of my right thumbprint. Symbolic in many ways, this act of repetition was an exercise in letting go–freeing myself from outcome and expectation–you are looking at an expansive self-portrait–my many iterations, day to day, year after year.

Using only my right thumb, this took 3 weeks–a consecutive of 8 days to complete (March 7, 2023 – March 21, 2023). Several hours on a ladder, standing up, and lying down so that every inch of my studio wall was covered with my thumbprint. Looking closer, you see the detail, the inconsistencies, the variants. You are looking at an expansive self-portrait–my many iterations, day to day, year after year.

My mural was also a chance for collaboration. It was important for me to create programming surrounding the wall—I envisioned Black music by Black musicians infiltrating the space. On April 26, 2023–for its opening celebration, colleague and friend, Zekerreya El-magharbel performed a trombone set in my studio while guests viewed the mural. Closing the chapter of this site-specific installation and my time as a student at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, this milestone deserved a closing celebration. On March 22, 2024, my Thumbprint Wall Installation Closing ended how it started, in addition to having Zekerreya perform again, I invited Detroit-based producer and DJ, Dave Gulley, known professionally as Gulley, to perform a beat-set in my studio. The combination of sounds was captivating, otherworldly at times. Witnessing how my art can deepen those connections for other collaborators–transcending/combining artistic medium and musical genres was a defining moment in my career.

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