Taha Clayton

Home: Brooklyn, New York
Title: RBG
Media: Oil / huile
Dimensions: 152.5 x 76 cm

This piece stands as a brief moment in my life and I want to bring you into my world. I painted this in order for you to see where I stand at this moment. A self-taught painter at the beginning. My beginning. My first studio.

I live in Brooklyn. The cost of living in this town sometimes seems way over my head, but I make ends meet. I live in a small one-room apartment. No room for my easel. I need my easel. I was able to work out a deal with my landlord and rent the dilapidated attic apace above my apartment. The room is falling apart. There are other people’s belongings scattered around the room. It’s all good though. I’ve got a Neil Young record to soothe my soul. He knows my struggle. It may sound simple or cliché, but when it comes to painting, I just go with the flow and allow my hand to translate what my eyes see. This is my expression. This is my life. This is my studio. This piece represents me at this moment. Raw. Grimey. Disciplined. And always pushin’ the paint brush.