Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive, 9” x 12” on 300 gsm cold pressed paper. 2023

If you want to have a good time, treat yourself to a trip to Miami, FL. It’s my favorite city (sorry NYC and LA) because it has everything I love in a major metropolitan area: a towering cityscape, trendy eateries and niche neighborhoods, well-dressed people (both the men and the women treat the sidewalks as their personal runway), architecture with personality, and a rich Caribbean and Cuban culture that’s palpable in every zip code. All the food I’ve eaten in Miami tasted like it was made with love. While there are chain establishments like any other city, when I visit Miami, I make it my mission to eat and drink at mom and pop hole in the wall restaurants. The best rice and peas, empanadas, roti, and guava and cheese tequenos live in such places.

It’s the sort of place you can go for a morning beach walk, grab a real Cuban sandwich, a potent, steamy cup of Cuban coffee, go shopping, catch an art exhibition, head back to the beach, and go out for a fun night on the town all within the same day.

The colors used in “Ocean Drive” are reminiscent of the sights of the famed Miami street. The aquamarine-toned waters serve as a backdrop to the lush foliage and palm-lined street. People from all walks of life are indeed walking, skating, biking, or strolling. Bikini-clad women in short denim cut-offs take selfies—in Miami, this isn’t necessarily a sign of tourist behavior—as elderly couples walk their fluffy pooches. My aim with Ocean Drive was to capture the vibrancy of the city through color and the movement of the brushstrokes.