Casualties of a Dice Game

Casualties of a Dice Game • 48x60 • acrylic, resin • $3,100

Casualties of a Dice Game draws from late-90s urban energy and the legacy of Big L, who was shot and killed in Harlem in 1999. Built with bold color, heavy texture, and controlled chaos, the piece reflects risk, consequence, and the quiet cost behind every roll—where confidence shines loud, and loss lingers underneath. the piece reflects risk, consequence, and the quiet cost behind every roll—where confidence shines loud, and loss lingers underneath. song by Big L, the painting pulls from late-1990s hip-hop energy (neon brights, bruised purples, asphalt blacks, and washed-out pastels), echoing a time when bravado, beauty, and danger lived side by side.

Aggressive palette-knife strokes collide with softer, dragged layers, creating a surface that feels both impulsive and intentional. Bursts of color flare like chance moments on the a corner (wins, losses, flashes of ego), while darker undertones quietly anchor the piece, hinting at what’s left behind. The texture is scarred & unresolved, mirroring the idea that every roll of the dice leaves something on the table.

This painting doesn’t narrate a single story, it holds many. It’s about risk, ambition, survival, and the unseen cost of playing the game too long. Loud on first glance, reflective with time, Casualties of a Dice Game is meant to live in a space where energy matters and silence still speaks.