Between the brothas

I spent the first half of 2017 taking a break from (In)Visible Men to get this painting completed. The image was taken from my retirement trip to Tanzania to trek Mt. Kilimanjaro and safari in the Serengeti. These children were out walking in the savanna and approached us while we were looking at the termite pillar. I love how the figures look like the elongated carvings from some of the cultures there.

I haven’t forgotten you brothas

I haven’t forgot you Shawn, Rodney, and Marshawn. I was away from this piece for more than a year.  I’d been busy climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and working on a piece from the trip. But I’m back and this will be complete before December in preparation for a February 2018 show at Northwestern University.

Reunited

Robert and Blanche Stephens of Washington, DC contacted me on January 21the day of my retirement reception inquiring if I was the same Ricardo they found on the Internet who painted this still life they purchased in the early 1980s. Of course I was and I was delighted that they found me coincidentally on the day of my reception. They purchased this piece during an exhibition in Winston-Salem while I was in college more than 35 years ago and we had not been in contact nor had I seen the painting since they took possession. I was happy to hear from them and they shared a pic of the painting which I hope to see in person when I travel east to visit family. 

The Raggety Ann doll was used in a series of paintings during this period to create a narrative about a little girl named Rebecca living in the rural south. Four paintings were part of the series and I would love to see them exhibited together.

Friday's are workdays

These paintings aren't going to paint themselves on a Friday afternoon. I found the slot today as we say in golf and painted Rodney's t-shirt. I love his posture and you can feel his weight underneath his shirt. 

Progress in the face of nihilism

It may not look like much progress to others but it's progress to me after being away from this piece since November and retiring from the University at the end of January. The time at the easel has been spent painting sweatpants on Shawn. 

I had to prepare statements from each model in the series describing their invisibility and their comments continue to profound me in the depth of their experiences, fears, and hopes. That's the one good thing that connects these men and others is the hope and ambition to achieve in life. Still, nihilism is our greatest threat. 

Chicago will be seeing Black men

Melodye's hands were a blur as she described the nuances and varieties in Black men physical characteristics and my willingness to take on this challenge when depicting the Men. Her mind races faster than her hands as only an artist would with her excitement over hosting (In)Visible Men this month. I'm still amazed at the irony of her discovering my work in October while I was always a fan of her children's books.

This will be the first public exhibition of the work in Chicago and I'm excited that former students and friends living in the city may be able to see my work. The opening reception is February 12 and the show runs to March 4, 2016.

Why do I have to die to be seen?

Don't get it twisted, I have no suicidal inclinations! I'm an artist and I live to create life. But don't wait until I'm dead to see me.  And read this article in the NY Times. I remember having to seek out Black art history while I negotiated a white dominant discipline. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/arts/design/black-artists-and-the-march-into-the-museum.html?_r=0