What Color is Your Aura?

"What Color is Your Aura?" is a series of portraits that seek to de-normalize visual standards of people of color in traditional portraiture by alienating or eradicating skin tones as an indicator of race or ethnicity. This series is the basis of my existing artistic practice by allowing me to reflect on my own identity as an artist of color. Often times, portraits of people of color have a visual narrative that is indicative of minority identity, including race, culture, socio-economic status, and gender or sexual expression. This body of work will build on my concern for relationships between people and the earth by creating portraits that eliminate the privileges of power associated with skin color.

Referencing color theory, I use acrylic paint for its vibrant color instead of flesh tones to highlight the true essence of individuals. I capture the person's personality and "aura" on canvas, by using found paper, like magazines and newspapers to collage the portrait on canvas, using color to create form. “What Color is Your Aura?” focuses primarily on artists of color, whose work is underrepresented in the commercial art world. Conversations with each individual will allow me to choose colors that highlight the person's “aura" in relation to their artistic practices.