My work is a reflection of the emotional and psychological landscapes that shape Black, queer identity. Through grayscale portraiture and live performance, I explore the complexities of vulnerability, power, and self-definition. I choose to paint in black and white not as a limitation, but as a declaration—that life exists in nuance, in gray areas where truth, beauty, and contradiction coexist.

​

Art became my voice after the one I had trained for—my athletic identity—was taken by injury. That silence gave birth to a new language, one built from brushstrokes, bodily gesture, and reflection. I use the human form—often nude and exposed—not to shock, but to strip away performance and reveal what is raw, sacred, and real. My portraits aren’t about perfection; they are about presence. They carry grief, tenderness, rage, and joy all at once.

​

Performance is central to my process. When I paint live, I allow the audience to witness creation in motion. It’s an act of intimacy, a ritual of connection. It transforms the solitary nature of artmaking into something shared—urgent, alive, and unfiltered.

​

I make art to heal. To process. To empower. I create spaces where softness is strength and masculinity is fluid. In every canvas, I am reclaiming my narrative—and inviting others to see themselves, and their humanity, reflected too.

​

— Devin Wesley