MLK
This piece began with me reflecting on the death of Martin Luther King Jr and the emotional weight that still surrounds it decades later. What stayed with me was not only the tragedy itself, but the atmosphere of the moment, the feeling of a life, a voice, and a movement being interrupted while still carrying so much purpose within it.
The orange throughout the composition reflects the presence of the sun during the daytime of his assassination. I wanted the color to carry both warmth and emotional intensity at the same time, almost like the atmosphere itself holding memory.
Scattered throughout the canvas are fragments connected to the moment of his death. On the left, the number “306” references the motel room at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King stayed before he was assassinated. Around the composition, phrases emerge and disappear through the layers, including “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” echoing the final speech that now carries an almost haunting spiritual weight knowing what followed. You’ll also find “April 4th, 1968” and “Memphis Lorraine Motel,” grounding the work in both time and place.
As I built the layers, the repeated images of Dr. King became symbolic of how deeply his existence still echoes through generations. His image continues resurfacing not just historically, but emotionally and spiritually within the collective consciousness.
Through collage and abstraction, I wanted the piece to feel less like a historical retelling and more like an emotional imprint. The composition remains crowded, layered, and active because memory itself does not sit still. It repeats, overlaps, and reappears over time.
While creating this work, it also became personal for me.I found myself reflecting on how certain figures continue shaping the way we think, create, and understand humanity long after they are gone. In that way, the painting became more than a reflection of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. His death became a reflection of how presence, loss, memory, and legacy continue living within us all.
The orange throughout the composition reflects the presence of the sun during the daytime of his assassination. I wanted the color to carry both warmth and emotional intensity at the same time, almost like the atmosphere itself holding memory.
Scattered throughout the canvas are fragments connected to the moment of his death. On the left, the number “306” references the motel room at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King stayed before he was assassinated. Around the composition, phrases emerge and disappear through the layers, including “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” echoing the final speech that now carries an almost haunting spiritual weight knowing what followed. You’ll also find “April 4th, 1968” and “Memphis Lorraine Motel,” grounding the work in both time and place.
As I built the layers, the repeated images of Dr. King became symbolic of how deeply his existence still echoes through generations. His image continues resurfacing not just historically, but emotionally and spiritually within the collective consciousness.
Through collage and abstraction, I wanted the piece to feel less like a historical retelling and more like an emotional imprint. The composition remains crowded, layered, and active because memory itself does not sit still. It repeats, overlaps, and reappears over time.
While creating this work, it also became personal for me.I found myself reflecting on how certain figures continue shaping the way we think, create, and understand humanity long after they are gone. In that way, the painting became more than a reflection of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. His death became a reflection of how presence, loss, memory, and legacy continue living within us all.