My Painting Will Become a Billboard (Bags optional š
Hot Damn! Itās happening, tomorrow my solo exhibition will be installed on Billboard Hope!!!
When I was a kid, I used to walk past this billboard in Bostonās historical John Elliot Square, almost every day. Back then the ad space was used to sell negatives, like cigarettes and alcohol. And as you might imagine, they both sold well. But now thereās a chance that Dayenne Waltersā vision to display hopefulness might sell too.
And after a global pandemic, donāt we all need to be positive & hopeful?
If youāre in the Roxbury neighborhood & have a minute, drive past Billboard Hope and check it out. Each month thru January 2022, a different artist will have a solo exhibition on display, my painting runs from Aug 30 – Sept 26.
Maybe itāll make you smile, just a little bit. I hope soš„°š
I woke up to this headline and smiled. Thatās what it does. And thatās the response I want to illicit when people see my art. Even if itās only a little smile.
After a pandemic the goal should be simply to co-exist, to get along and every once in a while to smile.
When I heard that a dilapidated Billboard was going to be resurrected and repurposed, I pulled out my paintbrushes and went to work. As a kid, I had walked by the Billboard and I remembered cigarette and alcohol being advertised.
In Bostonās historic John Elliot Square
So when the Founder of Billboard Hope, Dayenne Walters placed a Call Out to artists to submit their work for consideration, the project resonated with me.
Iām so proud to be one of the artist to be selected. My art titled: āFree Knowledge Must Bring Your Own Containerā will be on solo display from August 30 – Sept 26th. If you have a chance, drive by. I hope it makes you smile š
Free Knowledge Must Bring Your Own Container (18×24)
This morning I received news of Outsider Art, not labeling me as such, but nonetheless bringing attention to the fact that I havenāt attended art school.
(Full disclosure, I donāt have an MBA, no MFA and I havenāt spent hours studying the human form or still life.)
āOutsider Artā is defined on Wikipedia as āOutsider artists who are artists with little or no contact with the mainstream art world. They are frequently on the margins of society: for example, slaves, prisoners, and the mentally ill. Their creative output is referred to as Outsider Art.ā
I wasnāt sure how to feel. The word āoutsiderā is a pretty discouraging word, itās cold and divisive. Unlike the word āinsiderā which conjures up thoughts of inclusivity and warmth.
Perhaps the only reason that I continued to read the email, was because the person who sent it, a stranger, is highly regarded in the art world and knows a lot about art curating.
It peaked my interest, as so many things do and I Googled it. Come to find out Outsider Art is relatively a new term, though the act of making outside art surely began with the drawings of the first caveman, acknowledged, collected and curated.
Thereās Outsider Art Fairs held annually around the world, one is held at the Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City annually. Thereās also American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Maryland https://www.avam.org/exhibitions-and-events that has year round exhibitions.
When I first began this blog I struggled with a decision, should I just write or should I also share my art. I vocalized my hesitancy in those first days of blogging, I didnāt consider myself an artist and a trained artist named Chris Ludke* (who writes a blog named Plein Air Experience), left a kind comment for me. Later Chris shared my blog. It was validation and acceptance. Slowly my confidence grew from that first nudge and Iāve been posting my paintings ever since.
Which brings me to my news…
Next month one of my paintings titled āFree Knowledge Must Bring Your Own Containerā will be exhibited on solo display part of Billboard Hope 2021 in Bostonās historic John Elliot Square in Roxbury from August 30- September 26th. Meanwhile, across town, in the South End, running simultaneously and independently another of my paintings, titled āAmerycaās Two Sonsā will be on display, as part of the Forbidden Fruit Fall Exhibition at Bostonās Piano Craft Gallery (Sept 3 – Sept 26th).
Amerycaās Two Sons (20×24)
Iām stoked!!!
In 2016, I was hospitalized for nearly a month fighting for my life and a team of dedicated doctors saved my life. Later the hospitalist visited my room and told me āGo home & do nothingā and Iāve been painting ever since, releasing the #OutsiderArtist within.
A wall is meant to do more than just hold up your ceiling & divide rooms. Thereās something magical about waking up & looking at a handsome wall.
If you donāt have art hanging on your walls, go & make some, or buy some. But do get some. I promise you, itāll change your life. Itās changing minešÆ
I vividly recall the first time my brother let me hold one of his most beloved possessions, a record. He carefully instructed me on the proper handling- how I was to cradle the album by the edges. That it was sacrilege to touch its surface, as the oils from my skin would ruin it. I was genuinely scared, as if record moguls would come snatch me up for such a heinous infraction.
He called it respecting his albums. Even now, Iām mesmerized by watching a record spin around and around. I always pause before placing a needle on a trackās groove.
And Iām happy that itās called a āgrooveā because thatās exactly what it is! Itās truly one of the best technologies ever invented. In fact we should have a national Vinyl Day and to celebrate, we should peel the label off an album, because it doesnāt matter what song has been recorded, the art is in the vinyl. And we should gently carry it by the edges, carefully place it on the spindle, and as it begins its 33 1/3 spin (what a cool speed:) we should lift the needle above the midpoint of the albumās grooves & set it down and we should settle into it. Just listen.
I listen to jazz, Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Whew, I love that sound, the crackling goes deep and inspires me while I paint.
Anxiety at the airport should be limited to the act of flying.
And the fear of flying shouldnāt include trying to locate your carry-on laptop bag, after being randomly pulled out of line and searched by TSA at the airportās security checkpoints. Because being separated from your laptop bag for just few minutes, shouldnāt feel like hours.
Thatās what happened to me recently, while traveling to the west coast. Where as hard as I tried to keep my eyes on the security bin where I had placed my beloved backpack, as I held my arms straight out and tried to comply with the TSAās instructions, I did lose sight of my backpack.
It made me think, why does this continuously happen? How, in a knowledge based society, full of smart tech & a dispensary named Google, are all of our laptop bags basic black?
How is it that we can use finger swipes across devices and gain access to a broad swath of data information, but the bag that carries that most important device all look the same?
Imagine a company outing or a meeting, and your laptop bag gets confused with the CEOās. Now imagine the same exact scenario, only this time your laptop bag isnāt basic black. #TechnicoloršÆ
Pile up! A variety of the same basic black laptop bags
Frustration is tiring. So if I seem lackluster today, low energy and less approachable than in the past, itās because Iāve had an extremely frustrating experience.
It all began when my artwork was selected to be included in a big art project. I was happy. Then came the specifics, that is my artwork would need to be converted from JPG to PDF with 300DPI and enlarged plus A4. Ok I said, knowing that I had a guy who could get the job done.
Except here we are a month and a half later and the guy I hired to do the art conversion has gone AWOL!!!
Maybe āRona got to him. Iāve called. Sent text and Sent emails. Left numerous messages and Iāve driven to his place of business. Thereās a sign plastered across his glass door āWalkins Not Allowedā.
So whatās next? I believe that after a year of this never ending global pandemic, jittery nerves and anxiety got the best of him and heās gone into hiding out of fear. I donāt blame him, I just wish he had finished my project ahead of the deadline, because now Iām left scrambling.
If anyone out here knows how to scan large paintings and convert it to pdf +4 let me know. Thanks in advance.
I was just thinkingā¦ We spend an exorbitant amount of time creating and saving ideas to our laptopās hard drive. And then we shove our laptops, filled with all those great thoughts into a black laptop bag, effectively dimming our own brilliance.
What if that causes our brains a momentary lapse, a downshift, a version of writerās block?
I wonder what would happen, if instead we slid our laptops into bags woven in graphene, strands of intelligence, colorful diversity with sustainable business plans?
Folks have been telling me for months that most companies who sell black laptop bags have no interest in change and that I should accept that. But in my mind, why wouldnāt they?
Iāve had discussions with executive producers, pitching ideas over there and facing obstacles over here, not being told to stop, but not being encouraged to keep going, itās been challenging but I keep thinkingā¦ what if?
So I keep going at it. After all they donāt know me. Iāve been adding color to my bags since I was a little girl, back then I used crayons. By the time I went to college, I had started attaching ribbons to identify my suitcases at the airport, and as with all good ideas, itās evolved to painted laptop bags.
People see my bags online and ask can they buy one. They ask how much would I sell one for. Theyāre disappointed when I say theyāre not for sale. The upside is that I know thereās an interest for my colorful laptop bags. And I know thereās a burgeoning market, and yes, I know the age group as well. Because Iāve been busy creating it, slowly and meticulously.
Meanwhile, as my personal bag collection grows, my husband wishes I would sell them all. In some ways, thatās why Iām writing this post, because someone out there on LinkedIn understands my drive and how it might just work. Maybeā¦
People want to see the world differently: they no longer want to look out at a sea of black laptop bags at a tech convention. Me either and after a global pandemic, where people are re-emerging theyāre eager to see things fresh and new! Me too.
Things donāt have to be mundane. Yes, we can be hopeful and inspire. Yes, it can be a limited edition. And maybe my bag with its little colorful design might make people smile a little bit, even if itās on the inside.
