Best of Times: Breakfast at Al’s, 2021

48” x 48”

To: Gramma & Grampa

My Grandparents raised me. Something that I know is not unique to me, but as a child it felt like that. I’d spend innumerable hours as a kid listening to their conversations, asking questions and constantly being aware of their influence on our family and who I was directly. Our backyard was behind a diner, “Al’s”, in Jersey City. I still remember staring into the diner and studying the everyday interactions from their bedroom window while we spent my foundational years together.

My Grandmother has a Spanish phrase, “Soy Asi”, meaning “I’m this way/I’m like this”, tattooed. This saying defines her, as it also defines me. From a young age, I knew I couldn’t be someone that someone else wanted me to be. It taught me to be self-sufficient and secure in my individuality, something I’m grateful for and that I learned from her. Growing up she was always a nurturing figure to me…I knew when I was young, Gramma had my back.

My Grandfather, is more like my real father. He is someone that I believe my first conscious memory was with and the person my foundational personality traits were modeled on.
Pop knew how to communicate with me, how to steer and guide me. Even when he wasn’t around, his input rang in my mind. Knowing that I was raised by and came from him, it gave me strength when I needed it during my journey. Most importantly he showed me what the word “Father” means.