Baule
A loss is never easy to endure. I am mourning through the journey of time to flow with the idea of a missing puzzle piece that cannot be found. What are the events that led to the sudden light extinguishing? What could have been done to let that one remain? Why now? A change must create a future that allows the gifts of the taken to be realized. Can there be a place where you can just be? Is it through the pain and struggle that a more intentional life is lived? This pain I accept it on behalf of others so that they can move into the river that sustains life beyond just survival but jumps to experience all that is there to take in truly.
(The Baule people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). They belong to the Akan peoples who inhabited Ghana centuries ago. According to a legend, in the eighteenth century, the queen mother, Abena Pokua, had to lead her people west to the shores of Comoe, the land of Senufo. In order to cross the river she sacrificed her own son. This sacrifice was the origin of the name Baule, for Baouli means “the child has died”.
Baule art is sophisticated and diverse. Masks, sculptures, doors and other objects allow a closer contact with the supernatural world. A mask of this type shown here was danced for the annual yam festival and also for entertainment during market days.)
New work in the hopper
I’ve been working on a few pieces to get ready for my upcoming show in February at Smalter Gallery. The sketchbook and graphite have been off to the side for a while though, so I thought I’d bring them back in the loop. There are only so many hours in the day, so it’s hard to find time to explore all that I want to do, but I’m happy when those little nuggets present themselves. I have a couple commissions coming up to work on, but I like throwing in a few personal pieces to keep the creative juices flowing. I like the way these smaller works on board are turning out (inspired by arts on fire 6×6). Feels good working with graphite again though.
Art Practice
I’m finishing up a commission but took a little time to work on a personal piece.
#wip #workonpaper #pencilonpaper #mixedmedia #hiphopculture #drawing #artprocess #blackartist #kansascityart #kcartist #interurbanarthouse #kwanza
A New Church Commission
I’m honored and excited to work on this next commission for Saint James Catholic Church. I was approached last year and contacted out of the blue because they had seen my collection of 10 multimedia pieces at the Flat Files exhibition at H&R Bloch Artspace in 2019. Here is one of those instances where you never know how your work will lead to a unique opportunity.
The church’s representative saw my work and enjoyed my expressive portraits. Most Catholic churches have stained glass windows full of Anglo-Saxon art, but this church hopes to represent their mostly immigrant population of brown and black parishioners through art. After meeting the committee and seeing the space, we agreed on four Saints for the series. While the windows and relics would be expensive to replace, there is prominent wall space that will suit the addition of my work well. Although it took a little while to settle on the who, it’s all starting to come together. Each saint was well-researched to find the most appropriate images to study, draw and paint. Most are a composite of a few historical depictions to get the just-right look. I feel like one of the greats from the Renaissance Era, commissioned to paint for the church. I’m pretty stoked.
Here I’ve laid the foundation for Augustine Tolton and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
