The Right to Rest
What Dominic Chambers teaches me about stillness, imagination, and the fire we carry beneath the surface.
This month, The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation is teaming up with Phillips auction house for a special charity sale. Six world-class artists have donated original works to support our mission of education and equity—and I’m excited to share the stories behind each piece and why they matter to me.
I met Dominic Chambers and his work at the same time.
We were both invited to an event at a prominent collector’s home in Atlanta. That’s where I saw a piece of his called Golden Hour—and stood in the corner listening to Dominic break down the various shades of yellows in the composition. I’d never heard anyone speak about color like that. Not just from a feeling, but from deep craft. Intentional. Technical. Spiritual.
Since that day, I haven’t looked at color—or quiet—the same.
The piece he donated to our Legacy Auction is a masterclass in both. At first glance, you see a boy seated on a bench in a red forest. The scene looks still. Serene. But stay with it longer, and you’ll feel what makes Dominic great: the color doesn’t come from the world—it radiates from within the subject.
The vibrancy of the landscape isn’t just background—it's the boy’s inner world, projected outward. His body may be resting, but his mind, his spirit, his imagination is alive. Burning.
Dominic creates these “innerscapes”—visual meditations on the interior lives of Black folks. In a world where we’re often expected to perform or posture, his work dares to show us in stillness. But make no mistake: that stillness holds power.
I’ve seen it up close. In February we both watched this year’s Super Bowl from the stands of the Superdome. Dominic was just as into the game as I was. Screaming, pacing, losing our voices together. That’s when I saw it—the warrior spirit beneath the soft-spoken tone. That’s who Dominic is. And that’s what his paintings carry. A quiet exterior, powered by a blazing interior life.
I connect with that.
As a former athlete, now a builder and creative, I know what it means to be always doing. But Dominic’s work reminds me—legacy isn’t just about action. It’s also about presence. About protecting the mind. About tending to the soul.
We all need space to rest. But rest doesn't mean you're not moving. Sometimes the biggest shift happens when we finally sit still.
🖼️ The Artwork
Dominic Chambers
Thunderscape (Crimson Child)
oil on linen
signed "Dominic Chambers" on the reverse
40 1/8 x 35 1/2 in. (101.9 x 90.2 cm)
Painted in 2025, in the United States.
Courtesy of the artist and Phillips
🔗 Bid on this piece
See all six works on offer in Phillips’ Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Afternoon Session in New York, with proceeds benefiting The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation and its mission.
→View the full collection
💬 Let’s Talk
What does your “innerscape” look like these days?
Tell me how you rest, reflect, or return to yourself.