The Wake

Acrylic on paper 18"x24"

Expressing your feelings is difficult especially for an introvert such as myself.

During this time of my life, I lost several family members due to health issues, accidents and murder back to back.
It was one wake after another within a three year period.

My feelings were bottled in as I continued my daily routine in shock. I needed to release or I was going to explode. Maybe I should’ve cried, yelled, or shouted the desire was not in me. 

But I wanted to said good bye to all beloved family members in my own way. So my mourning process began the acrylics and a palette knife. Every stroke, small, large, scratches and blotches of color exploded across the paper. I was in the zone

 My expression of mourning turn out to be the most personal articulation to date.

 I would to paint like this again.....soon!

Cathedral

This acrylic painting on Illustration board was exciting to create. It was the first time that I explored graphic shapes and bold colors. It’s the dome outline of the “ Il Duomo” in Florence, Italy. During my visit to this beautiful city of art, I got to see the cathedral view outside my window daily. I felt at peace. I had the pleasure to enter the “ Il Duomo”. The larger that life art inside had a story to tell provided a walk through history. It was a phenomenal church. I stayed for hours staring at the visual stories of the past. It was a spiritual experience that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.

Hi Everyone!
"Are You Connecting The Ten Black Dots?"
. . . . . . . . . .

Check out my interview by Tarsha on her blog, http://www.wwwbuttafly.blogspot.com/. It's to help promote my workshop this summer called "What Can You Make Out Of Ten Black Dots?"

Enjoy!

“One Drop Rule”

My Dad “Grandpuba” loves history books. He used to work for the sanitation department. Sometimes he would bring history books home after work. They were books that I never seen before especially in school. They were purchased at a book store in Harlem on Lenox Avenue called Liberation Bookstore (Now located at 156 Street Amsterdam Avenue). Thorough black history books examining racism of the United States, I would read these books for hours. I especially enjoyed books by J.A Rogers who was known for precise history of African and African Americans. One of the many topics which stood out for me was the “one Drop rule” a tactic formed during the segregation of black people. The one drop rule was formed stating that a person of African ancestry, no matter what percent of “white blood” they had they will be classified as Black and will not have the benefits or right as white Americans. It was the way to keep the races separated and to enforce the Jim Crow Laws of the South.
I wanted to use the coffee and cream concept and include the image of the American flag. The Jim Crow Laws was a racial caste system formed during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War and only used in America at that time. It ended when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to outlaw discrimination in public accommodations.
It was created It was very difficult to create faces on the cream holder and the coffee mug. I wanted this image to clearly tell the story without using words. I think that it would make a great illustration spot for a magazine article someday.
The painting is available or purchase.

“Poisonous Drink”

Okay the pencil theme is back. I had to challenge myself again. I really started to understand value of tones from creating light to dark but not to break the point pencil in the process. Not so easy!
I wanted to take two images and morph them into one another. So I decided to morph a spider into a glass of champagne. I was inspired by various movies when the evil character would slip poison into their victims drink.
The drawing is available or purchase.

Capricorn Journey

Okay, I must admit, I do not like drawing in pencil. I don’t care for it because I’ve always associated pencils with those dreadful regional exams in grade school. I also don’t like the lead from the pencil smearing on my fingers.
This project was a huge challenge in many ways. I wanted to recreate some of my dreams from my childhood so I had to choose various images and to arrange them to make a creative composition. I had to work on the drawing in sections. Every time I completed a section, I had to protect it with coverage of paper. I didn’t realize how much concentration and patience that it takes to complete a large drawing piece. While I was drawing, I had to keep in mind not just draw my images but make it look super real like you could just reach inside and grab the teddy bear or grab the ketchup bottle and pour some on your burger. Okay now I being silly, but you get my point!
I have chosen a cityscape because I love the crazy energy of the city. The porcelain turtle on the bottom is me of course. My shell is hard to protect myself and if you try to break it you have a lot of work to do because I don’t brake easily. I am also determined to get across the pumpkins patch to reach my goal. I am pressed for time. That’s why the iron is there to stretch time on my watch.
What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone!

I would like to share my own insight to some of my paintings and drawings.

“Bloom”
18”x 24”

My Dad aka “Grandpuba” would every week pick up a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my Mom. He always shown his love for my mom but he wanted to show her in a special way that would shock her. The first bouquet was a delightful surprise. My mom felt extra special. She couldn't wait to tell her family and friends on the phone. I must say, it certainly brightened the living room and also my spirit. After about a year, grandpuba continued to give her flowers every week. My mom said” He better stop with the flowers now, it’s too much!” I said to her” Well, at least he gives you flowers every week when he comes home from a hard day of work; some wives don’t get any flowers. You both are lucky to have each other. It’s a rare kind of love!” My mom smiled and agreed with me. Grandpuba continued his weekly love of flowers for years.
I was inspired to do a study of flowers.

So I decided to make a painting of the bouquet in the middle of a landscape.

I wanted to show the bouquet bloom out of the ground.
The painting is on permit display at the

Spring Hill Baptist Church in Spring Hill, North Carolina.