A full-color illustration of Michaëlle, a dark skinned Haitian American woman, standing proudly on a Haitian beach. She is wearing a white bathing suit that reads, "unfriendly black hottie". Her long locs blow in the wind. Pink hibiscus flowers float by her body. It is sunset.

Michaëlle (2021) is a portrait of a dear friend. In every portrait, I try my best to honor the beauty, fierceness, and heritage of each individual.

Michaëlle is Haitian American, and it was important to me to depict her on a beach in her homeland, surrounded by the unofficial national flower of the island (hibiscus). This illustration was also loosely inspired by Botticelli’s painting, “The Birth of Venus”.