Watching Y'all

18x24 Acrylic on Canvas/ 2026
**Watching Y'all**
*Acrylic on Canvas, 18 x 24 inches*

This painting combines portraiture with a more expressive, contemporary approach to color and line. I built the figure using loose, visible brushwork and simplified forms rather than realism. Bright contour lines move around the hat, shoulders, and face, creating energy and helping separate the figure from the dark background. The contrast between earthy tones and unexpected colors gives the painting a sense of both history and immediacy.
The figure meets the viewer with a calm, knowing expression, as if quietly observing everything taking place around him. While the painting references Native identity and presence, it is also about character and the enduring presence of those who have seen generations come and go.