Blank Canvas

I have saved over 10 years of magazine lettering and calligraphy. I sit staring at a white computer screen. I feel like I feel when am sitting in front of and white stretched canvas I am paralysis. I must admit that I am a art supply and materials hoarder. I thought it would help if I would work on this blogging thingie, but like the canvas and entering a new journey with my art; my mind and muse are silenced.  I started this blog several years ago and visit sites of other people. There is some awesome and talented people in cyber-space and at age 65 years or so, I still feel like that four year old who was practically thrown to a classroom with other children all taller than me. I had  heard stories about this strange place brought home from at my older cousin, two months, along with boasting of having a brown bag lunch like the ones Nana made for my grandfather to take to work.


One day my grandmother braided my hair along with a morning bath. Without words, she held my hand as she pulled me through the neighborhood and down paths of concrete and bushes.  Nana left me with a swift about-face, a whisper to the white lady standing in front of the room.  Her instruction to me was to stand outside in front of the school and wait for my cousin so that we could walk home together. Speaking in whispering voice, the white lady spoke softly as she pointed towards  a pad of newsprint draped over an easel. Jars of  blue, green, red, black and yellow color lined a little shelf at the bottom of the little stand. Tall thin brushes stood inside the containers. My mother claims that I could call out colors since I was two years old.  My love with art supplies and school started then.

8" x 11" canvas paneled in a shadow box of cedar. This is made with a collage of wrapping paper, magazine "clip-art" from my lettering and calligraphy stash. The birds just happen to be flying around on that day.  I need some more practice with my photographic work.  "HOPE" was created during a period in my life where healing was needed.

I enjoy mixed-media art (too fun for words!!), I have dabbled with all kinds of mediums since that first day of kindergarten and I guess that is when my art adventure began. I discovered with oil painting as soon as I discovered that you could paint on canvas board and that came without numbers.

My old paintings 2003

I spend a lot of time practicing and practicing my art. Even at my age experimenting this something you might like to do. I like to play with the art supplies and materials to see how they interact with one another breaking the rules that I learned in college. Rules that include never used black never use white when creating watercolor paintings. I never considered myself as being an "ethnic" artist (if there is such a person) but instead I took on A persona of being an artist who happened to be born a woman who happened to be african-American. Fortunately, I had instructors that saw the art even when I could not. It was just too much a part of me.

I hundred and 40 pound watercolor paper with acrylic

Gray lady series with demensional hair painted on Masonite board

Acrylic on prepared Masonite board

Nana looking at the Moon

The color purple- I love painting backgrounds and practing dark skin tones  acrylic on board

Miesha Women

Acrylic and fabric collage 

Cash prize from Inland Empire art show

I was trying to paint a man's face but they always seem to look like women or my face. I think I was playing around with yellow background .

This was a small painting and one of my favorites. It is called "Serenity" around 5"x7" on 140 lb watercolor block with watercolor and acrylic

All of these paintings were created with professional grade art supplies. All have been sold or given away (I love trading art for goods).  I am just sharing the old to make room for the new.