Corcoran Annual Print Portfolio

Today I picked up my BFK Rives printmaking paper from the print studio at Corcoran's Georgetown campus. I will be participating in the 30th Annual Print Portfolio, a Corcoran tradition. I can't wait to get started on my lino prints.

Kaleidoscope Featured Artists

I created a video of the Kaleidoscope artists work. The exhibit features the artwork of seven Black Artists of DC members - Daniel Brooking, Maria Marable-Bunch, Adjoa Burrowes, Carolyn Goodridge, Russell Simmons, Magruder Murray, and Jeffery Boston Weatherford. It can be viewed on YouTube by pasting this url in your browser: http://youtu.be/K_a_qDZck8M

A Transformation

I've started to play with food packaging to create my sculptures. This was created using a Lipton tea box and magazine pages. I like the color play inherent in the printing.

Kaleidoscope Reflection

I had the opportunity to curate the Kaleidoscope exhibit in the lobby gallery of Publick Playhouse January 6 - March 13, 2015. The exhibit features the artwork of seven Black Artists of DC members - Daniel Brooking, Maria Marable-Bunch, Adjoa Burrowes, Carolyn Goodridge, Russell Simmons, Magruder Murray, and Jeffery Boston Weatherford.

When reflecting on the theme I was drawn to the kaleidoscope for many reasons, including its appeal that reaches back to childhood. Holding the hollow, long cylinder filled with small, colored objects such as glass or beads, to the light, was awe inspiring. Peering into one end, and observing the vibrant symmetrical patterns that resulted from light entering the other, was magical. As the tube is rotated again and again, more patterns result from the reflection off the mirrors placed inside at different angles. The kaleidoscope can be a metaphor for many things. An artist can approach it from various angles and choose to focus on one or more qualities it holds. The object and word is ripe for many interpretations. Each of the artists was invited to reflect on the theme as they saw fit.

Behind the Scenes Freedom Prints

Hand pulled print on Japanese paper.

My presentation, Freedom Prints was given October 22, 2014 at the Corcoran School of Arts and Design in Washington D.C. that featured the artwork as well as the motivation behind my series of woodcut prints. The imagery in the woodcuts were inspired by interviews I conducted with selected family members including my daughter, youngest son and niece about their conceptions of freedom. The series grew out of a large-scale collaborative project I participated in during the summer of 2014 that included faculty and students from the University of Maryland, Corcoran and community members at TheArc in southeast D.C. During the presentation I gave a behind the scenes look  my art process including initial pencil sketches, cut-out paper stencils, journal reflections, poetry and some of the printing process.

The Essence of Freedom

Drawing inspiration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous ‘Four Freedoms’ speech, this exhibition examines the essence of "freedom," or lack thereof, through visual imagery, stories, poems, and oral interviews. Monumental steamroller-printed woodcuts were created by students from the Corcoran, the University of Maryland, and members of THEARC community and are displayed in The Art Gallery’s back gallery. - See more at: http://www.artgallery.umd.edu/exhibition/carving-out-freedom-piecing-community#sthash.DMwTV8ti.dpuf

This was one of the first sculptures created in my cross media class at the Corcoran. We were challenged to create a hand held sculpture that works on all sides using recycled material and NOT using any tape or adhesives or scissors. It seemed natural to photograph this in a natural setting. The art was playful and whimsical.