My Painting practice 1: the beginning!

Ohayo faithful few, we come to another week. Where has the time gone? I come to you on the 15th of March, the 15th of March! It seems like the weeks are really flying by. I am still trying to be on my grind. Got somethings I am working on. I have switched my paint medium for the time being.

For a while I was painting in acrylics, but this weekend I am doing a painting in oil. Its been since I have worked in this medium. I really like working in oil because of its slow drying times. In a way I feel as though it is forgiving. If I make a mark I don't have to worry about it drying so fast, the longer open time allows me to decide whether not I am happy with it. Whereas with acrylic there is a sense of immediacy when it comes to decision-making. Do I like this stroke or do I want to go here with it? Acrylic, unless your using Chroma's Interactive Paints, which after it dries can be re-opened, normal acrylics have a faster drying time. Oils, on the hand have a way longer drying time. It is also more conducive to a more direct thought and decision-making processes. I can make a mark and in some cases, come back to it a couple days and it still be workable.

I learned to paint in acrylic and when I made the switch to oils, I was a bit apprehensive. I figured that it would be a hard medium to pick up because of the rules but I got the hang of it pretty quick. So for now, I will see how much work I get done by switching back to oils. Well that's all I have you this week.

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

Welcome

Hey faithful few, welcome to another week, another post. This week I wanna talk about the past for a spell. I always try to stay away from the past but it seems as though it always come back. How I do just move on? Why can't I ever get away from the past? It seems like I always get stuck. I mean I try to move forward but they always seem to come back.

Do I just move away from everyone? Do I just forget everything? Do I say hey world, I am leaving you guys in the dust. I don't know. I always felt as though if I moved away from it all, I could leave the past in the past. Maybe that is why I have always been so eager to leave my hometown. Its like no matter what I do, someone or something always seem to try to hinder my forward progress. I must find a resolution. At some point and time I think I will. I have to. It's only a matter of time.

Until next week sometime, namaste and stay strong

An Excursion with The Arts...

Hello faithful few. Welcome to an evening full of delight and great art. Naw but seriously, as promised I had my little excursion today. It felt great to go and see some art today. Very good art I might add. I went and saw Kehinde Wiley's work as I mentioned in my post last week. I mean if you have seen his work in a magazine or online or anywhere; lets just say you have been cheated visually. His work up close is very majestic. I mean you get really almost overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of his painting. Even the frames themselves are quite ornate. I really feel privilege to say that I have actually seen his work up close. I mean I am practically speechless right now. I don't know what else to say right now about his work. Rather than go on and constantly ramble about his work, I am going to stop now and include it later on down the line in another post where I can elaborate more on it.

The great thing about visiting museums and galleries is that you go to see one exhibition or a particular artist and you run into another great exhibit or body of work by another artist. The gallery that I went to also had an exhibit entitled, "Let Your Motto Be Resistance." It just so happened that this was the last weekend for this exhibit and I am glad that I got a chance to view it. It was an exhibit of 100 photographic images from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. They were images of prominent African-Americans(there is that word again) in the arts, sports, music, stage, civil rights movement, and political world; both past and present. I think it would have been the highlight of my excursion had not Kehinde Wiley paintings been there. Some of the photos really captured the essence of its subject. It was nice to take it all in. I walked out of that museum feeling really inspired and better about my work and the direction it is going in.

Well, I think that's all I have for you guys, this week.

Until some time next week, namaste and stay strong...

It's Time!

Faithful few, I know what you are wondering. What do I have for you this week? Well I am continuing to work on my art, I have been looking in to entering some call for entries overseas. You know try my luck in the foreign market. I mean what could it hurt, I could definitely use the exposure. Over the last past weeks or so, I have made a few connections through some Internet social network groups(No I am not going to name them here. What do you take me for a shameless plugger! That would go against everything I believe in.) So I really feel good about my outlook for the rest of this year.

Let's see what else do I have for you. Oh, yeah I know I said I was going to talk more about Black Accountability and Black Identity, but this week I will digress for now. I didn't really feel like getting into that this week with you guys. But fret not its coming. What else? Oh yeah! If everything goes as planned next saturday, I will be venturing to DC to visit the National Portrait Gallery. They are having an exhibition called Recognize. Its about the hip-hop community and art. It has work in it by Kehinde Wiley. This guys work is phenomenal. He is one of my favorite young "Black" artist out there. I will finally get to see his work up close and in person. I am really psyched about this. I will tell you all about it maybe in next weeks post if I have not written it before I got to see the exhibit.

Well that's all I have for you guys this week.

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

KonBan'wa

Hello faithful few, its that time again. I need theme music! LOL! I want to talk to you briefly about "Black History Month." It originated back in 1926 through the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The original name was "Negro History Week." He created the week so that people could be educated about the contributions of "African-Americans" in our society. It would also be a way for our people to recognize those of us who were trying to and succeeding I might add, in making a difference in our society. He picked the second week of February as "Negro History Week," so as to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln(two prominent leaders who proved most influential in the early civil rights movement). It evolved from being the second week in February to becoming the entire month of February and being known as "Black History Month," in 1976.

I can recall in elementary school getting excited about the first of every year. One, my birthday came around(January 12th, for those of you who don't know!) and two, in approximately 4 weeks it would be "Black History Month." I have always been a history nut, but when it came to "Black History," I really became enamored with history. I loved hearing about all the different African-Americans(I will expand on my feelings on being labeled "Black" or "African-American" in a later post to come.) and the stories that came along with their struggles and achievements.

The more and more, I progressed through my early schooling, I began to question why we only had a month. I mean when we speak of Columbus and the Industrial Revolution, World War I and World War II, we are not confined to a month. So why is it when it comes to "Black America," is this necessary? How is this possible that we, as a people are only given a month, when we have contributed so much to this country? How can we, a people who was removed from our homeland and had to persevere through so much, be only given a month? Most of our achievements are not even listed in our so-called "history books." These are just a few things on my mind that I hope will get you thinking. I got lots more to come.

I know it seems as though I am leaving you guys kind of abruptly but I feel as though this post is a great starter for next weeks' post and the following weeks' post. So buckle up! I am back in full swing.

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

Starvin' like Marvin'

Ohayo, my faithful few! In this weeks post, I am going to be kind of brief. Right now every time I get the chance to create or brainstorm, I do. I am trying to overhaul the old portfolio. I mean I haven't really worked on a cohesive body of work in a minute. I am still trying to get some things together for a few shows I wanna participate in, as well as doing investigative work into where I wanna go with my work.

This is the year where I really want to do alot of shameless self-promotion. I have the website up, I have the business cards, I am pushing word of mouth(thanks friends) and I got you guys "my faithful few."

I think thats all I have for you today. Be on the look out though, in the near future I am going to address some issues in the black community as well as black history month.

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

Sup (Black Accountability REVISITED)

Hello faithful few, its time for yet another entry. I know what you are thinking, and yes I have been doing my posts on saturday the past few times even though I say that its a random post. Oh well sorry folks, I ill try my best to keep up with the "random randomness." On to the topic at hand.

Black Accountability

I have been doing some reading and listening to some music and I am amazed at some of the things we say out of our mouth as it pertains to why we do things. How do we justify violence perpetuated upon as by creating more violence and then saying that our reason for the violence is because of the violence committed against us. We blame society and the skewered justice system for our own inept decisions. When will we take responsibility for the things that we as people do? When will we take responsibilty for own shortcomings?

Don't get me wrong we are not always at fault but we can not continually use excuses of someone holding us down or someone out to get us. We need to avoid situations that would necessitate or give someone the oppurtunity to even put us in a situation to feel as though we are being made an example of.

In short we have to come to grips with "Black Accountability" and stand up and take credit for our own actions that put us in said predicaments. Then we would not have to worry as much about protect out own dignities.

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