I finished six portraits in September, most of which I started in August. Click on each woman’s name to read small biographies of each woman.
Blog
Cathay Williams
Cathay Williams 1844 – 1893 Cathay Williams was an African-American soldier who enlisted in the United States Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. She was the first Black woman to enlist, and the only documented woman to serve in the United States Army posing as a man during the American Indian Wars. Williams was born to an enslaved mother and a free father… Continue reading Cathay Williams
Ancestors and Self
Between 2007 and 2015 I did a series on Ancestors. My parents had recently died and I wanted to honor them and other Ancestors. I’d also had two brothers die at an early age, so it was a way of processing my memories of them. A few of the paintings included self portraits such as… Continue reading Ancestors and Self
Mamie Clark
Mamie Phipps Clark 1929-2019 Mamie Clark was an American social psychologist who, along with her husband Kenneth Clark, focused on the development of self-consciousness in black preschool children. Clark received her post-secondary education at Howard University, and she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees there. For her master’s thesis, known as “The Development of Consciousness of Self in Negro… Continue reading Mamie Clark
Stagecoach Mary
Mary Fields aka Stagecoach Mary – 1832–1914 When Mary was about 60 years old, she was hired as a mail carrier because she was the fastest applicant to hitch a team of six horses. She was the first African American woman employed as a mail carrier in the US and the second woman to work… Continue reading Stagecoach Mary
Self Portrait
A conversation with two crocheters in Split, Yugoslavia, 1977. Our language in common was crocheting. I painted this in August, 2021
Ancestors
In 2010 to 2014 I did a series of Ancestor paintings using vintage family photographs. In July, I reused one of those photos and painted this piece of my mom and older brother Dennis when he was a baby, circa 1944.
Vanilla Beane
Vanilla Beane is one of the WOCAA – Women of Color and Accomplishment. WOCAA is a book in progress of my paintings and brief bios of Black women in American history. These are women who have accomplished much despite often facing discrimination or challenging backgrounds. Vanilla Beane 1919 – Vanilla Powell Beane, affectionately known as Washington,… Continue reading Vanilla Beane
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday is one of the WOCAA – Women of Color and Accomplishment. WOCAA is a book in progress of my paintings and brief bios of Black women in American history. These are women who have accomplished much despite often facing discrimination or challenging backgrounds. Billie Holiday 1915 – 1959 Billie Holiday was an American… Continue reading Billie Holiday
Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage is one of the WOCAA – Women of Color and Accomplishment. WOCAA is a book in progress of my paintings and brief bios of Black women in American history. These are women who have accomplished much despite often facing discrimination or challenging backgrounds. Augusta Savage 1892 -1962 Augusta Savage was an American sculptor… Continue reading Augusta Savage