Portrait of the Artist
and Her Brother in
Warrior Training Camp

2003
Acrylic on Canvas
30" x 24"
Private Collection of Joseph Hernandez

This is a portrait of myself at age 5 with my brother who was a teen at the time. He had been boxing since an early age and I loved to play with his small boxing gloves. My mom once snapped a photo of us wearing our gloves. The funny thing is that at the time I had on my shiny blue shorts that were perfect for the moment. I loved those shorts. I remember roller skating at block parties in Park Slope Brooklyn to the sounds of "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa wearing those shorts. We lived on 2nd Street and although we moved to East New York when I was 8, my fondest memories are from my days in Park Slope. My brother was very into graffiti and DJing. All those old school hip-hop songs take me back to that era. For me, that age represents the pinnacle of innocence where life is so new that you only recognize its beauty. That's why old family snap shots of this period are so dear to me.

2009 Update:
Back when I painted this in 2003, I meant it to be an image of nostalgia, channeling the dearest memories of my childhood. Today however, the image takes on a whole new meaning. In the spring of 2008 my brother Joseph was diagnosed with a blood cancer known as Multiple Myeloma. It is a cancer that normally affects folks age 60 and above. People like my brother who are under the age of 45 are rare cases. Myeloma has been linked to asbestos exposure and is more prevalent among black men.

When he was first diagnosed, we were all shocked and hurt. As in this portrait, I was ready to stand alongside my brother, prepared to battle. I knew that the news alone was too much too handle and knew that he would need someone to help him battle through the bureaucracy, the prescriptions, the treatment, the doctors, the research and more.....I did my best to be there through every appointment. He also had a team of supporters like his friend Randy who we nicknamed the lawyer, that would come in his suit from work and cause a fuss any time they left my brother waiting for too long. Then i discovered I was pregnant. I kept it a secret for a while but after some time I knew I would have to pull back.
My brother had an auto stem cell transplant in the fall of 2008. The procedure helped put him into remission. We were able to have a good holiday, get through the winter and witness the birth of my first son in April 2009. Then we learned that the Myeloma had returned. My brother was reliving the same experience of 2008, almost to the same schedule. A second summer in a row would have to be spent through chemo. My brother will have to stop working to undergo another stem cell transplant this year. What happens in this country is that if you stop working, you're no longer insured. He is battling through the system to be able to keep his insurance and more importantly to stay home recovering from treatment and healing. My brother and so many other people battling illnesses in this country and around the world need support.

On August 27th, 2009 I will be hosting a small fundraiser for him in NYC. See the events page for details.
If you are unable to attend but would still like to contribute, you may do so by using the PayPal donate button that appears under the image to the left.

2010 Update:
My brother ended his fight on April 27th, 2010 and joined the realm of the ancestors. His beautiful spirit grew too powerful and too strong to be contained in a mortal body that had been unfortunately overtaken by cancer. I was blessed to have been born to the same mother and honored to have had him as my big brother. I owe much of my strength and inspiration to his beautiful light! Rest in peace sonny!