Gingersnap

In the midst of selling art at the first ever Handmade Dayton Festival at Peace On Fifth in the Oregon District. It was a lovely Friday morning- not too hot with a a slight modest chill in the air as I walked the twenty minute trek to the Oregon District, feeling confident in 2 1/2 inch heels and purple black heart tights. At Peace On Fifth, a unique retail shop/boutique selling goods, clothing, and accessories strictly from slave free parts of the world that has been in Dayton for nine months now,  London Coe, the lovely, vibrant shop owner has transformed her store into Handmade Dayton Festival. Five locally owned shops of art, jewelry, handmade soaps, and more, each vendor is separated by a leisure amount of space, not large enough that one feels divided, but enough so that we all could have conversations and get to know each other and our personal wares. I had a long wooden table and rolling rack, taking only a few moments to have art displayed and quickly got acquainted...

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the most intelligent, most enthralling woman of them all?” Coming Soon: Something Evil Is Watching.... “My jealous, vile queen it is not you, For there is another lady is brighter, charming and new. With skin as brown as chocolate silk, Softer than satin, smoother than milk. Innocent doe eyes darker than charcoal smoke,       Hair cropped and curled hidden under cloak. Red, full and plump are bow tipped lips Stealing smiles and making entire kingdom’s heart flips Matching perfectly carved, heart shaped face, Gently curved, selfless compassion, and lithe grace.           It is the divine princess Chocolate Black, And she has many fine qualities that of which you lack.” This is only a draft. With all of the live action Snow White movies coming out (even a Disney cancellation), an idea just popped into brain to create a version of t...

Up close view of Susan's Boyfriend Loves Her Afro It's quite an over dramatic notion- the way women obsess about beauty- whether it's makeup, body image, and age. It has gotten to the point of shallow ridiculousness due to media ploy. Yet hair roots are another story entirely nowadays, especially African Americans fighting a raging battle between staying naturally beautiful or getting the sleek, kink stripping perm. Keep in mind, men never have to obsess with image as much as women do. They're allowed to keep their hair in any way, in any style while women resort to spending tons on weaves, relaxers, perms, and extensions to appear "attractive" and in turn, cruelly punishing natural sisters for not following suit. Based on true accounts of a turbulent upbringing (was given the ugly nickname "Carpet" in school), the tragedy of African American women despising free style wearers and going as far as publicly criticizing and embarrassing them...

The second part of the ongoing REACH artist series at Sinclair Community College, James Pate's "Attack" charcoal drawing series is an exploration of the tempestuous beauty, alluring grace, and ferocious power in the African American female body. Opposing oppression and weakness, she is bold, brazen, and bare, her nude, voluptuous body a towering strength in every kinetically activated composition. A stunning companion to Linda Stein's "Fluidity of Gender: Sculpture" exhibit, Pate's sensuously captivating world of sleek, crisp lines and elegantly etched value structures showcase a woman clad not in clothing, but the fiery cloak of awareness in every fiber of her skin, telling the viewer that she needs no hero, no rescuer of the detrimental reality and terrifying peril. On the verge of being attacked and pursued by targeting minute airplanes, she pays the metaphorically crafted danger no mind, averting her gaze away, seeming disinterested, nonchalant, or ...

Not just in heart and spirit, Meano was to be forever immortalized in art. Yes, I've drawn and painted him several times over the years, but this was different. I was asked and approached to create a piece about a wonderful, good dog friend. With him being gone, I wanted to make it even more special, invoking every last aspect of love. I had been given free reign on size and medium. On black matboard, I began layering the oil pastels on thickly. (I only use my Holbein! Best pastels ever!) Yellows, oranges, browns, greens, reds, and blues built up a joyous, tongue dripping, rich butter faced dog. For hours, I worked in various places- bedroom floor, living room table, in my friend's classroom, and at Starbucks. Such an honor, hearing compliments by family, friends, and strangers as I progressed. I wanted the pastels to stand out, but couldn't leave the background black. Didn't want to think of him in a dark, miserable place lacking sunshine and positive energy. Doggy Hea...

(Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority Trolley Circa 1996) As a kid, I loved riding the yellow bus. No. Not the school bus. The Dayton RTA trolley. Is it was always an adventure, especially around the holidays when Santa sat in the back seat handing out candy canes to eager children. Those days are long past. As well as the original trolley design. People frown heavily on public transportation- saying that it’s the poor man’s ride and that things are better efficient with a car! While there are pros and cons of every way of transport, I will always enjoy a good bus ride. With new environmentally friendly buses (they have trolley hybrids now!) and a cost effective way of saving money, buses, trains, and subways are certainly wonderful way to travel. Sometimes they can be late. At times very early. But I truly love buses and appreciate the people driving them. I especially enjoy long journeys and going the distance on buses I’ve never boarded. That of which I can do more of since recei...

I walked into Dayton Technology School on First Street downtown to take photos of the old work that was still displayed there. Students were nice to say that I didn't look my age, (17 really? C'mon now!) but the snorting at the "valley girl accent" will never end. Alas, I no longer care anymore. I sound how I sound and that won't ever change. Anyway, back to the art. These twelve pieces need to be taken home very, very soon. But one can't haul large pieces of work to and fro on these hour long journeys... "The Darkest Tree in the Neighborhood," 18" x 24," acrylic, oil pastels, Mod Podge, and deco markers on canvas, 2006. Long ago, I had an obsession with language and writing on paintings. Stemming from a maddening desire to weave my loves together, this was just another attempt. A dominating headless figure over a sideways landscape. The repetitive statement, "I am the darkest tree in the neighborhood" is in an abstract tree form ...

Besides Christmas cards and rubber duck fashion design, I've been exploring a new arena. Ever since I got my results back from 23andme.com and Dr. McDonald, I've been trying to figure out how to create a body of work. Can one make art from being identified as 87.8% African and 12.2% European? Sure. Art is so universal that anything can be! I love the face. The many emotions, the movements, the features. A billion adjectives can describe how much I enjoy creating art about the face! So in combining the research and facial enthusiasm, abstracted portraiture seemed to be my answer. For this upcoming project. The shape of Africa is in various crevices of the human face. The lips are my favorite- I enjoy creating the mouth- its variations of reds, pinks, browns, and purples. It's a feature that seems to stand out the most in my portraits. This isn't any different. The eyes are closed, lashes peering down at that strangely shaped sideways, African continental lips- perhaps a ...

Here are 500 words to describe EJ Dimera: acute affable apt adroit agile agog abandoned abdicate abiding abrogated accomplished accountability acrimonious adamant adaptive adherent adumbrated advantageous affected afflicted alluring absorbing aggressive altruistic amaranthine amazing ambiguous ambitious ambrosial amiable amusing analytical anxious apprehensive ardent arousing artful articulate assailed assertive assiduous astonishing astounding astute attentive audacious aureate authoritative avaricious aware awe-inspiring beautiful beguiling behooved berated bewildering bewitching bold brassy brazen brilliant burdensome capable cajoling cantankerous captious captivating cautious cavalier cerebral chivalrous clandestined clever charismatic charming cheeky circumspect coaxing cocky cognizant collected commanding compelling complex complicated comprehensive conciliatory conclusive condescending confident conflicted coniving conscientious constructive consuming contemplative contemporary ...

Ever since I heard from resident artist Kevin Harris about five dollar Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Dayton Printmaking Coop, I have been super duper excited! It’s an amazing opportunity to use the facility and their materials for so low a price. It’s a great steal to take advantage of! Plus, it is an hour’s walk away. Yes! Woo hoo! Now for weeks, I kept wondering what would I make? What kinds of drawings are worth printing? Holiday cards are definitely on the way, but I wanted to make other artworks too. As most of my friends know, I’ve been secretly plotting to squeeze my way into the fashion industry. A few blog posts ago, I shared whimsical fashion dreams- rubber ducky style! Etsy, eBay, Google, JoAnn’s, thrift shops were the places I searched for rubber ducky centric fabrics. Weeks ago, I found this amazing number for only $1 at the Village! Yes, $1. And it was originally $2! Talk about dated and vintage. Tote bag? Skirt? A vest? Who knows what I’ll be making out of it? There’s ...