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Art That Touches The Soul Booth #H128
After college, Tennessee State University, Nashville, I moved to Miami, got a job, and left my desire to paint behind me. Several years later I moved to Macon, Georgia. I suppose I felt a sense of peace in my new surroundings, because my desire to paint returned, almost unnoticed. One afternoon, I gathered my arsenal of painting supplies and put my first strokes onto the canvas. Soon I realized that I had lost my ability to paint. I was devastated. I remember praying and asking God to restore my ability to paint, stating that I would continue to use my gift once it was restored. The Beginning of my Journey: My voyage into art began long before I realized it as my passion. All I knew, at the time, was that I enjoyed painting. Over the years I have experimented with several different mediums, oils, pastels, and charcoals. I finally landed on acrylic paints, enjoying the ease of covering a canvas with minimum drying time. I credit Victoria Fox Art Gallery, Lithonia, GA. for embracing me and my art. They mentored me, introducing me to the business of art. There is quite a bit of history between then and now. Moments of sorrow that are not directly related to my quest for the “well known artist status.” Yet those moments helped to ground me and establish my priorities as an artist. Through the years I have participated in art festivals from Atlanta, GA to Mystic, CT. I have had the honor of exhibiting my work in the following locations: National Black Fine Art Show, SoHo, NY, Lyndon House, Athens, GA, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA; Harriet Tubman Museum, Macon, GA; Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, FL; the set of the Television show “In The Heat Of The Night”, The Southern Bell Building, Atlanta, GA; and Union Station, Washington, D.C. In April of 2019 my work was included in the Tom Joyner Foundation Cruise Fundraiser for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Art That Touches The Soul, are the words that I use to describe my art. It is my desire that each work of art that I create, embodies a small portion of me, my emotions, dreams and the essence of who I am at the moment that the item is created. I am often asked, “How long did it take you to create that painting?” I have come to realize that the correct answer is, “My entire life.” Each creation is the result of experiences, emotional shifts, increased knowledge and life’s ups and Downs. I create art because the creation process invigorates me and it allows me to escape into a world of “what ifs” often called The Zone.
When I am in the zone, I am not aware of my surroundings, dirty dishes in the sink, unpaid bills or other worldly concerns, I hear a gentle voice saying use red here, mix in a little orange. Sometimes the voice does not make sense, but I have found that when I listen it is always right. I want people to react with joy and a sense of sagacity when they see my work. There are specific events that occurred in my life that caused a shift in my style of painting. Several years ago, a fellow artist, Frank Fraiser, suggested that I add more movement to the garments that clothe the bodies of my images. I accepted the challenge and began to imagine the wind blowing on the elaborately decorated fabrics worn by the dancers in my paintings and sculptures. I believe that “this movement” causes the images to come alive.
