The Black Mirror series draws inspiration from the streets of New York, depicting candid abstractions, produced by the city’s collective consciousness. The works are derived from black on black instances on walls, created incidentally after graffiti is removed, resulting in unintentional abstract paintings. Lacking authorship, these gestures are repurposed as black mirror etchings, reproducing abstractions that are in actuality, realism.The works are created by sandblasting and chemically etching mirror and glass, while simultaneously painting on the back and front of the glass, emulating the layers found in the street. The references are digitally drawn, then the vectors are mechanically cut, creating stencils that adhere seamlessly to the quartz plates. The glass is then etched, the stencil is removed, and the process is repeated, incorporating paint, chemicals, and resin to build an artwork memorializing the forgotten details of the street. The zeitgeist produces these candid compositions, but they are largely overlooked as the city continues to hustle by. The screens at which stare often disables us from perceiving the beauty that which is in front of us. While it is impossible to reject the technology we continually rely on, it is important to take time to reflect on our environment, and appreciate the minute details of our reality. The series considers sentiment from DaVinci, who encouraged his students to find and paint the most cracked and decrepit walls in Florence, explaining:

“Don’t underestimate this idea of mine, which calls to mind that it would not be too much of an effort to pause sometimes to look into these stains on walls,  the ashes from the fire,  the clouds,  the mud, or other similar places.  If these are well contemplated, you will find fantastic inventions that awaken the genius of the painter to new inventions… These will do you well because they will awaken genius with this jumble of things.”

The black mirror series takes this idea to the streets of New York, presenting unsightly as beautiful. These works have a double intention, as they also reflect the viewer, hinting at our distraction these street compositions, due to disassociation from reality through our digital devices.