“‘Don’t Trace; Draw Freehand!’ That comment made early in my life by a family member, still serves as a guidepost in the making of my art. Its meaning motivates me and is a constant reminder to remain open to the possibilities of innumerable artistic forms. For me, art-making is a creatively interrogative process that raises questions for the purpose of seeking form. That process over time has involved a multitude of techniques that include scrubbing graphite and paint into gessoed surfaces, incorporating found and natural materials, metal foils and assorted papers some of which that have been handmade. Content-wise my interest and efforts have always been attempts–metaphors, if you will–for the myriad possibilities that give rise to the surface of things. It’s like seeking one’s axis mundi or a single tune with several improvised arrangements.”
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Silver Spring, Maryland. Currently, he and his wife Raine, a basket weaver, live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Exhibitions, over the years, have included solo, two persons and group formats. Recent exhibitions include “About Time”, 2012, The Salve Regina Gallery, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC and “Full Spectrum, Prints from The Brandywine Workshop”, 2012, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania.
Bachelor of Science and Master of Fine Arts degrees have led to some 36 years of teaching in the Art Departments of Cheyney State College (now university), Cheyney, Pennsylvania; Howard University, Washington, DC and Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Along the way, a certificate in Digital Imaging was earned at The Corcoran College of Art & Design, Washington, DC.
Residencies include VCCA, Mt. San Angelo, Sweetbriar, Virginia; Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont; Pyramid Atlantic, Riverdale, Maryland; Howard County Arts Council, Ellicott City, Maryland and The Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico. Travels to West Africa, Italy, China, Brazil and Trinidad have also contributed to my artistic thinking. Awards, along the way, include Maryland State Arts Council “Individual Artist Award in Visual Arts: Three-Dimensional for 2001”; “Distinguished Black Marylander Award”, Office of Diversity Resources, Towson University, Towson, Maryland “Artist’s Grant”, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont; “N.E.A. Artist-in-Residence”, Howard County Arts Council, Ellicott City, Maryland; “Fellowship”, VCCA, Mt. San Angelo, Sweetbriar, Virginia; “Residency in Handmade Paper”, sponsored by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Pyramid Atlantic, Riverdale, Maryland; “Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, US Capital Region/Mexico Cultural Exchange Visiting Artist”, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico and Guest Faculty, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Summer Institute for Educators, Richmond, Virginia.
Website
http://www.3nplainview.com
