We, as humans, have been making assumptions and prejudging each other as a means to better understand one another since the beginning of time. After being constantly mislabeled as a foreigner because of my accent, and frivolous because of my profession, I began to question how the labels and judgments others place upon us influence our identities. Over the years I have come to realize that the labels we assign each other have power to either divide or connect us.

Recently, I began to wonder about others’ experiences with mislabeling, and decided to ask both friends and strangers in my community to consider being interviewed and photographed for a painting. They were each asked to bring an item or embody a persona which illustrated how they see themselves. During these interviews, we explored issues of identity and connection through in-depth conversation about the significant labels that have affected their lives. These pastel portraits aim to illustrate the meaningful selectivity we use in deciding which of our layers we peel back to show the world and which we keep concealed. As always, color is a technique, a tool, and a language I use to emphasize an overall feeling.

Although greatly diverse – like the portrait subjects themselves – these paintings are unified by their manipulated shapes, gradation, and textures that evoke empathy and curiosity. My hope is to inspire an appreciation in our community for what makes each of us unique so we can learn to look beyond labels and truly see one another