New work in the hopper

Works in progress, graphite on paper, prismacolor on gessoed board, and oil on canvas

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.

Augustine Tolton Under Painting
St. Kateri Tekakwitha Under Painting

Chief Legends

Willie Edward Lanier (born August 21, 1945), nicknamed “Contact”, was a middle linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from 1970 through 1975.
A Super Bowl champion, Lanier won the NFL Man of the Year in 1972. He was selected to both the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000

wip #drawong #workonpaper #mixedmedia #willielanier #kcchiefs #interurbanarthouse #kwanza