For three months (June, July, and August, 2023) I have a showing of 19 of my paintings at Community Media Center of Marin, aka Marin TV. There was an opening party on June 16 and there will be an artist talk on September 1, from 6-8 PM (the talk will be at 7 PM).
Here is the article about my show
The show catalog can be purchased here.
I also was interviewed by Justin Russell.
My show artist statement:
The body of work included in this show is my response to the murder of George Floyd. Watching the horrific video of his murder and the subsequent attacks on protesters by white supremacists motivated me to find a way to fight racism. Like other social justice activists, I decided to use my skills to help people look beyond the color of one’s skin and instead judge them by their character.
As a painter with 50 years’ experience, I embarked on a series of portraits of African American women who continue to be left out of history books. They are also not documented in portraiture. We all know from standard photos what a person looks like, but portraits can capture an idea of a person or what they stand for.
I got color inspiration from paintings such as Matisse’s portrait of Woman With a Hat, Van Gogh’s Portrait of the Postman, or Picasso’s Dora Maar Seated. Using that inspiration, I started painting the 100 portraits in the series Women of Color and Accomplishment. Rather than focus on the color of their skin, I was dedicated to capturing their powerful presence.
I love sharing their stories of lives dedicated to overcoming challenges and giving back to their community. They inspired me to give back by spreading awareness of their actions. Starting dialogs with others on racism in this country, both past and present, I hope to motivate them to help oppose racism and promote racial equality.