Trece and Troy Gettin’ Fly
In Trece and Troy Gettin’ Fly, Troy Hul Arnold captures a cherished ritual of style, pride, and sibling kinship, set against the backdrop of the annual choir anniversary at their Brooklyn church. These events—significant fixtures in many Black and Caribbean-American communities—are known not only for their spiritual and musical celebration, but for the unspoken pageantry of fashion, where congregants arrive dressed in their absolute best.

Arnold and his sister Patrice, affectionately known as “Trece,” are rendered here in their anniversary finest. Patrice’s hair has been freshly styled at Maribel’s, a popular Dominican-run salon in Brooklyn known for its sleek blowouts and deep community roots. Arnold, meanwhile, wears cornrows expertly braided by African women on 125th Street in Harlem—hairstylists whose work reflects centuries-old tribal traditions, carried into contemporary diasporic expression. The attention to hair is not merely cosmetic; it’s a marker of identity, care, and cultural lineage.

The painting is both a celebration and a testament: a snapshot of two siblings preparing to be seen, to participate in a ritual of self-presentation that affirms belonging, dignity, and joy. Through Trece and Troy Gettin’ Fly, Arnold honors the small but deeply meaningful ways in which Black and Caribbean communities show up for one another—and for themselves.