Inspired by the national thing of the day, today is Puzzle Day. Part of the sandwich bag art I started in 2008 when I began drawing on my kids sandwich bags.
Whenever I go to the art store, I see those pencils, erasers, sharpeners, sketch pads eager to graduate from the store to their rightful owners for another schooling which they only graduate when been used up.
The inspiration for this collection came from a conversation I had with the Founder and Executive Director of the Underprivileged And Underserved Foundation (UAUF), George Goodwine. While discussing race and whether or not every opportunity was fair based upon someone’s familial structure or “starting line,” I was asked the following questions. How does someone overcome these hurdles? How can the playing field be leveled to make things fairer, when others may only have 50 hurdles to overcome in the same competition?
My response was simple. “The person in front of 150 hurdles has two choices. They can either get discouraged before they begin, or start jumping. In the midst of the race they might get tired, unsure, or discouraged, but if they press on to the finish line they may become more physically fit than the person who jumps over 50.”
I used to dance ballet and at the time, there were a lot of hurdles I had to overcome solely based upon inconveniences that came with being raised in low-income, single parent home. Above are pencil sketches and sharpie drawings that I have drawn from actual photos. I plan on making these images my own by adding more abstraction and vibrant color to them.
Over the course of the project, stay tuned to see how these pictures will transform into a work of ART!!! Check out my artwork at theservingartist.com
"Heaven was putting distance between her and everyone." ~ A blackout poem from a recycled page of Riding with the Hides of Hell, which now has a new-and-improved title, Burnout. It's a young adult story about motorcycles, a road trip, adventure, and love.
"I remember you put a smile on my face. Now I got the crow's feet." ~ A blackout poem from a recycled page of Burnout, an Young Adult adventure/romance story.
My sketchbook spread. This is actually a moleskin watercolor album which I'm mostly using to draw from life. This is sharp and spiky versus soft and fluffy. The models were the two of my house plants, and aim was a texture and light study.
Ever have one of those days when you want to pull your hair out? Here it is in black and white! I was experimenting with white ink in a journal with black pages.
