Afro-Monae-isum Painting

I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. Art has a strong presence in my family. My mother is talented at drawing as well as making blankets and towels amoung other crafty items. She is loath to abmit it, but she is also a wizard with charcoal. My father can draw as well, but his passion is in photography and videography. Their house is full of photos, portraits and comfy blankets that bear testament to this. I began creating my own style of art at an early age; my mother says that I have changed my artistic style at least 8 times over the years. I was never concerned with conformity, for me doing the same thing a hundred times is like eating the same thing for lunch every day. I started off with the simplest notebook lined paper, number two pencils and ball point pens. I moved on to color pencils and markers befor playing with acrylics, oils, spray paints and even clay. I am currently exploring oils most in my work; they give off a color and depth I like most. I've also begun mixing media, oils and spray paint. The two paints play off each other in strange ways, allowing me to make some new visual effects. Artist's General Statment Frankly I don't have an Artist's Statement to share with you, however I would like to pose a question..."What is Black Art?". I am black and an artist, so do I produce Black Art? Is art considered Black Art because of the subject matter is Urban or Ethnic, or has some black theme? Is it art that stirs the soul, rebel rousing or maybe depicts imagages crying for freedom? Or would black art be that which has strong depictions of African/Pan African objects, animals, or masks...bright colors wrapped around dark skin. Would my paintings of Whales be Black Art because of the artist or because whales swim in African waters? What if I painted only landscapes of European country sides, with only white subjects? Would you call it Black Art?...or something by a confused black man? Is Black Art the depiction of the black experiance or is it a depiction of the world through the eyes of a black person?