Last post of 2009 or is it...

Hello faithful few, how goes it? I trust that you guys had a safe and pleasant holiday. My holiday was OK. It was my first holiday without my big sis, so it was kind of tough and a bit sad. And speaking of that, today is the exact date 4 months ago since she passed. I still miss her everyday. I will strive to keep her legacy and her spirit within my heart. I love you Cookie.

Speaking of the number 4. Today coincidentally is the 4 yr anniversary of me being at my current job. I wonder if the number 4 is a sign. I made a facebook comment about how some kid has went through some undergrad program somewhere in the time I have been working at my job. I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe its a bit of a catch-22 but I am going to leave that alone. I don't really care for Dr. Phil but he had a show about social networking and there were experts on there talking about what you should and shouldn't post for the world to see. Never know a job or grad school maybe checking out the facebook/twitter accounts. I have always adhere to that motto myself personally but the more you get into this things the easier it is for you to slip.

This may or may not, be my last post of the current year. I plan on in the coming post bring you some of my resolutions as well as some artwork that I have finally been finishing up. I also think I am close to get my portfolio the way I want to present it so I will be bringing you guys that as well. I have some deadlines that I need to make, you know. It's all apart of the "new" me. I plan on going through a lot of changes after my birthday in a couple of weeks and I will bring you guys all the amazing news and ideas I have for the new decade and the "new" me.

Until sometime next week(or year), namaste and stay strong...

Snow Day...I had a snow day today...

So today faithful few, I did not have to go into work because we had a snow day. Baltimore was bombarded with snow. So much SNOW. So I laid in bed most of the morning and then I jumped up and preceded to almost shovel my entire block! Even when I went out for my second go around, I started to do the whole block again, lol. I don't know what got into me. Well, my post was going to be about some work that i have done the past week but I will save that for my next post. Instead I am going to leave you guys with some pics of my day with the snow. I was pretty much the only person in my neighborhood out shoveling. Does that make me crazy? LOL!!!












Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...

Work in progress...

Here is a little something that I have been working on. In the coming weeks, I will have more of these for you guys. I hope you guys enjoy.

The end result of the original which I made a stencil from.

The original.

Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...

3 Months...

Its been 3 months exactly to the day since we laid to rest my oldest sister. I miss her everyday. I know she is in a better place.

I love you Cookie.

New Stuff

These are two sketches that I worked on today. One is for a children's book that I am think about doing on the side called Mr Pea Pod's Adventures in Art and the other is a Copper Goddess series. Just wanted to bless you guys with some of my recent stuff.

Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...

Blogging away.

I love the fact that I am so used to blogging. There was never any doubt in my mind that I wouldn't take a liking to it but I am amazed at how consistent and dedicated to it I am. I am/was(?) an extreme procrastinist (is that even a word, lol?) I have on several occasion told you guys how I started this blog to help me with my procrastination and help me to focus on meeting my deadlines but the endeavour has become so much more. I mean every weekend I look forward to bring you guys the happenings going on in my world.

I loved that I branched out and started doing Vlog for you guys as well. Its pretty awesome to be able to actually tell you guys whats going on and what I am thinking verbally. I may start doing reviews on certain things I have viewed or had the opportunity to play around with. (Movies, electronics, games and things like that) I will def tell you guys about art happening I see and art endeavors I embark on. After all this is an ART BLOG. Thats all for now my faithful few.

Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...

Labels...

I was walking to work on Thursday and caught a glimpse of a newspaper article . It was about a gay Zimbabwe priest I believe that had died. It got me to think about labels. Pretty weird huh, but in this society it seems like everything is about labels. He couldn't have been just a Zimbabwe priest, we had to know that he was gay as well. Anyway before I get off of what it got me thinking about, I recall growing up wanting to be an artist. All I wanted to do was be an artist.

I didn't have any cares in the world beyond getting older and being an artist. It was never about making "black art" for me, it was just about making art. It wasn't until after the events of 9/11 that I even thought of the concept of a label. I was in art school in DC at the time so I was right in the back door of what America was going through at that time. Like my classmates and peers at that time, I begin to create art that showed that I was proud to be an American. What ever I did, somewhere in my work was an homage to the great US of A. Out of this work was born a deeper meaning in my work. I took a step back and realized that all those years of creating art and wanting to be recognized as an artist never approached the fact that I was an artist who was black. I mean I was conscious of the fact but I didn't want that label. I didn't want to be known as a black artist because I wanted my work to have an identity of it's own. I am not saying that I am/was ashamed of being labeled a black artist, I just felt that I could say more through my work without the label. Roland Barthe felt that the death of the "author" (artist in this case) would open up the author's work. If you took away the identity it would be up to the viewer/reader to determine what they thought of the work based on what was presented and not based on what they knew/know of the author.

I dove headfirst into revealing myself as a black artist. I have actually written artist statements and grad School entrance essays based around my self-exploration into accepting the "blackness" in my work. As I get older, I fully intend on embracing the "blackness" of my work.

Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...