SOLD – Homeless by Austino Okafor

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IMG_0277[1]SOLD
Homeless by Austino Okafor
Mixed Media on Board
Size 36″ x 48″

“Art was my first language.”
— Austino ‘Obi’ Okafor

The music starts.  The artist, dressed fully in white, as the color of his canvas, begins to move, slowly at first; sensually.  He studies the canvas that is placed on the ground or propped up on an

easel; moves in and away from it, until he is propelled to make the first stroke—confidently—with a palette knife.  As he continues to channel inspiration from the percussion-infused music, the knife glides across the canvas, scrapes it in a seemingly spontaneous pattern.  Yet every stroke is full of intension and color.  He drips the paint directly out of a large container.  He wipes his fingers on the white overalls.  When the palette knife is surrendered and paint brushes take over the finer details, the supplies case may be used as a palette.  The wooden Egyptian symbol of eternal life—ankh—that hangs around the artist’s neck may fly off into a corner with a single gesture of his arm.  In the world of Austino ‘Obi’ Okafor’s creation, anything might happen and everything is play.

A Nigerian born and trained fine artist, Austino does not lack inspiration for his work.  He tells stories of his ancient culture and race with an equal amount of anguish and celebration; but his themes never lack a universal commonality.  After all, love and war, sex and spirituality will always have an audience; and Austino includes his own public in his favored style of creation:  the live painting performance that he calls “Difusion.”  His color palette is lush like the natural environs of his homeland (Austino was raised in Cameroon, Africa); and his never-expiring passion for life and God makes his every object arrestingly beautiful.

Austino’s works are widely collected nationally and internationally, and in the contemporary art world, he is considered a rising star.

Written by Vera Chernysheva
© Brenock Fine Art

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SOLD – Black Face by George Hunt

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Price $SOLD
Black Face by George Hunt
Original Oil on Canvas
Size 8″ x 10″

George Hunt was born in rural Lake Charles, LA in 1940 where he was reared by his single mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Mr. Hunt advanced his formal education at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and later at NYU in the graduate program where he studied under Hale Woodruff, noted Harlem Renaissance artist.

In the 1960’s George started incorporating the cubism style of painting in his own style. His personal stamp in the style includes collage, vibrant colors and lively textures. As a youth George was personally connected to one of the most devastating periods in American history as he was one of the pallbearers assisting in putting Dr. King’s body on a plane for his return to Georgia to be laid to rest. In 1993 Mr. Hunt created a piece titled “I Am A Man” as a tribute to the sanitation worker’s strike. Today that piece hangs in the National Museum of Civil Rights and will forever be connected with the legacy of George Hunt.

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SOLD – Inner City Blues by Andrew Turner

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Inner City Blues
by Andrew Turner
Size: 72″ x 48″ Approx
Original Acrylic on Canvas

Andrew Turner was born in l944 in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Andrew’s work has been widely acclaimed, with many solo exhibitions and participation in group exhibitions. He has taught art in grades K-1 2 in the Chester, Pennsylvania Public Schools and in correctional centers. His appointments include Artist-in-Residence and Curator, Deshong Museum, Chester, PA; Lecturer, Widener University; Lecturer, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; and, he toured and lectured in The People’s Republic of China. Collections which hold Andrew’s paintings include Woody Allen, Dr. Maya Angelou, ARCO Chemical Company, Bell Telephone Company, Dr. Constance Clayton, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cosby, Edie Huggins, Eric Lindros, Mr. and Mrs Louis Madonni, Moses Malone, Penn State University, the artist formerly known as Prince, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sorgenti, Swarthmore College, Mrs. Marilyn Wheaton, and Widener University Deshong Museum, just to name a few. He has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. His Philadelphia commissions include: WDAS FM (1996); Marco Solo, (published by J. Schwinn and G. Harlow, illustrated by Andrew Turner) Reverse Angle Productions, Inc. (I 995); and Robin Hood Dell, Fairmount Park (1985).

“My paintings combine the drama inherent in seventeenth century Dutch painting with the brush work and the economy of the Impressionists. However, I look to the jazz idiom more so than to other contemporary visual artists for guidance and inspiration. I tend to measure the success of my pieces by how they stand up technically, emotionally and innovatively to a Coltrane solo or whether I’ve captured the spirit of the occasion, a la Ellington. The subject matter, sometimes nostalgic recollections of my days as a young tough, covers a myriad of common folk activities. The setting usually my native Chester, is a beehive of creative stimulation or a deteriorating ghetto depending on my state of mind. At the very least, hopefully, these vignettes of experience will help to provide insight into some African American lifestyles and serve as an inspiration to my students and others to continue the legacy of African American participation in the arts.”

Andrew Turner 1944 – 2001

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SOLD – Jazz Combo by Andrew Turner

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SOLD
Jazz Combo by Andrew Turner
Original on Canvas Board
Size 7″ x 10″

Andrew Turner (1944-2001) was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Andrew’s work has been widely acclaimed, with many solo exhibitions and participation in group exhibitions. He has taught art in grades K-1 2 in the Chester, Pennsylvania Public Schools and in correctional centers. His appointments include Artist-in-Residence and Curator, Deshong Museum, Chester, PA; Lecturer, Widener University; Lecturer, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; and, he toured and lectured in The People’s Republic of China. Collections which hold Andrew’s paintings include Woody Allen, Dr. Maya Angelou, ARCO Chemical Company, Bell Telephone Company, Dr. Constance Clayton, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cosby, Edie Huggins, Eric Lindros, Mr. and Mrs Louis Madonni, Moses Malone, Penn State University, the artist formerly known as Prince, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sorgenti, Swarthmore College, Mrs. Marilyn Wheaton, and Widener University Deshong Museum, just to name a few. He has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. His Philadelphia commissions include: WDAS FM (1996); Marco Solo, (published by J. Schwinn and G. Harlow, illustrated by Andrew Turner) Reverse Angle Productions, Inc. (I 995); and Robin Hood Dell, Fairmount Park (1985).

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“Silk” By George Nock

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“Silk” By International Artist George Nock
Size 30″ x 12″
Bronze

“Theirs are the eyes of visionaries.” —George Nock, on artists

Artists and athletes generally inhabit opposite ends of the stereotype spectrum: the jocks just don’t mix with the poets and painters. But a few individuals are helping redefine this notion, and have created worlds where art and athletics reside happily side by side. George Nock is one such example. The Atlanta resident first gained recognition as a football player, helping lead Morgan State University to four CIAA championships before turning pro in 1969. Nock was a running-back for the New York Jets for three years before heading to the Washington Redskins. After a knee injury sidelined him after his first season in DC, Nock returned to a passion that preceded his love for football: art. Today, Nock is an accomplished painter and sculptor: his work has been shown across the country and can be found in the private collections of notables such as Joe Namath, Evander Holyfield, and Vanessa Williams. His work, which covers themes ranging from jazz musicians and dancers to wildlife and athletes, captures the spirit and energy which guide Nock’s life.

Sisters by C. Scott

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SOLD
Sisters by Cameron Scott
Original Acrylic on Canvas
Size 48″ x 66″ Approx

CAMERON VINCENT SCOTT (1957 – )

Painter and photographer Cameron Scott comes from a family of artists, going back to his great-grandmother.  His mother studied with Hale Woodruff at Spelman College in the early 1940s. Scott is a graduate of the University of Texas, El Paso, and has been showing in galleries since the early 1980s.

His work is found in the corporate collections of Bell South, Essence and Baskin Robbins.
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Friends of African and African American Art Celebrate 50 Years At DIA

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DETROIT, MI – Where were you during the summer of 1962? ‘…The Friends of African and African Art (originally-African Art Gallery Committee) formed a committee to acquire art to establish a new gallery dedicated to the traditional art of Africa. This is one of the oldest auxiliary groups at the DIA.

Its mission is to ensure that the artistic contributions will be enjoyed for future generations.’ The 2012 gala was held at the DIA with much of the glamour and entertainment replicated. Picture driving onto the circular drive of the DIA and greeted by gleaming classic cars – Red 1963 Ford Thunderbird, Black 1965 Chrysler Barracuda and a Red1963 Cadillac Seville. A group of guys were crooning under the streetlight. White tufted leather sofas were placed around the perimeter near the doors. Ladies and gents arrived dressed in glamorous attire from the ’62 era.

Inside, the scene was set to take you back to 1962. A female singing group dressed in black sequined dresses belted out Motown sounds as guests roamed with appetizers and champagne. Ladies completed their outfits with fur stoles, white gloves, beautiful floral prints, full-skirted colorful dresses with matching shawls and plastic purses. There was even a spotting of white patent Go-Go boots. Gentlemen were dapper in their choices of tuxedo jackets in many different colors and bow ties. Judge Stone did stand out in his sharp black sequined jacket, black bow tie and matching hat.

Sharon Madison, Chair of the Summer of 1962 extravaganza, introduced key participants and greeted the guests dressed in a beautiful blue dress complete with a matching shawl, white gloves and swirling curls. This was a very special event because of the milestone anniversary. There are plans to have a Techno Music event to attract more young people to join the organization, June 15, 2013.

Katherine Blackwell and other elders led the guests into the dining room where food and music set the tone for the party. The food stations did an excellent job of tempting the palate with Gourmet Mac & Cheese, short ribs of beef atop risotto, swordfish, Maurice salad and other mouthwatering dishes. The non fattening desserts included flaming Banana Foster, bread pudding, crème and berries, éclairs and …
Dancers stayed on the floor showing off their smooth moves while working off the calories. There wasn’t a wallflower in the place.

Two Anniversary cakes with fifty flaming candles topped the evening as guests sang Happy Anniversary to the tune of Stevie Wonder’s version of Happy Birthday. The Summer of 1962 was good, but the re-creation in 2012 was a big hit.

Tradition Redefined: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African American Art

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Published on Nov 2, 2012

Larry and Brenda Thompson have amassed a remarkable collection of art by African Americans from around the nation. In 2009, the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland organized this exhibition from the Thompsons’ collection. In 2011, it helped open the remodeled and expanded Georgia Museum of Art, to which the Thompsons subsequently gave a large portion of their collection, including all the works in the exhibition.

The strength of the Thompsons’ collecting process lies in their considered attention to artists who have typically not been recognized in the traditional narratives of African American art. In addition to the acknowledged “masters,” the Thompsons have collected works by artists who have been labeled “emerging,” “unknown,” “outsider,” “eccentric,” “vernacular,” “regional” and more. The result is a collection that redefines the landscape of American art, offering a more in-depth, inclusive understanding of African American artists and their aesthetic and social concerns. The Thompsons have not only identified and supported artists inside and outside of the canon, but they have also cultivated meaningful relationships with a variety of artists and their families that have lasted decades.

This video features Larry and Brenda Thompson discussing their collection and Carissa DiCindio, curator of education at the Georgia Museum of Art, talking about its educational uses.

‘Blackboard Wars’ Season Finale: Art Saves Homeless Teen Allen Lefort’s Life (VIDEO)

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By OWN

Life in New Orleans is rough. Eighteen-year-old John McDonogh High School student Allen Lefort ended up homeless after a series of struggles — his father’s overdose and his brother’s death among them. In this clip from the season finale of “Blackboard Wars,” Lefort, after a suicide attempt and an intervention from school principal Dr. Marvin Thompson, opens up about how art has saved him.

“I got into art by my older brother, but he died… and I just took up on what he was doing,” explains Lefort in the clip. “When I do art, it comes from my mind just free. Mellow. It’s like I go into another world.”

As to art and the effect it will have on his future, Lefort has this to say: “This is more than a dream; this is my life right here. This is my way out.”

The season finale of “Blackboard Wars” airs Saturday, March 23, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.

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Andrew Turner 1944 – 2001 – A Passion for Life – Paint Magazine

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paint magonline

Mercer Photo 2015

October Gallery’s Mercer A. Redcross III
stands in front of an Andrew Turner painting “Blue Set”.

Andrew Turner
by October Gallery Staff

Inspired by art history’s masters, Andrew Turner painted the African American experience in a style that embraced the embolden, thick brushstrokes of Expressionism. With a nod to Social Realism and Dutch genre painting, he portrayed the simplicities of everyday life and examined the complexities of the human condition.  Turner was an artist that absorbed the world around him, and it poured onto the canvas through a brilliant, electrified color palette.

postermusicturner1

Born in 1944, Turner grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania and remained active in the Philadelphia art community throughout his entire life.  The vibrant culture and communities that surrounded him became the muses for his work.  After completing high school, he went on to serve in the U.S army before setting his sights on academia.  Turner graduated from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.  He participated in a educational exchange program in China.

Stephanie_OG Book photoStephanie Redcross stands in front of Andrew Turner’s “”Trumpet Boy”.

 

Tuner was steadfast in his goal of becoming a professional artist but was equally passionate about education.  His interest in education led to teaching jobs at public high schools and state correctional facilities.  His vast knowledge and appreciation for art history naturally propelled him toward curatorial work, and he landed an artist-in-residence opportunity and curator job at the local Deshong Museum in Chester.  He also presented lecturers at Widener University and the Institute of Contemporary Art at University of Pennsylvania.

me wade lamarWade Redcross, Mercer A. Redcross III and Lamar Redcross standing in front of Andrew Turner’s “Keepin’ The Faith” painting.

While many artists seek the New York art scene, Turner remained in his home state where he became a central figure in the art community.  Staying true to his roots, Turner didn’t miss out on major opportunities in the art industry because Philadelphia was his most inspiring subject.  He regarded his paintings as vignettes or documentations of everyday African American life and assumed the role of reporter.  Turner desired to expose the emotional importance of seemingly simple activities that usually go unnoticed. Very much in the tradition of the 17th century Dutch painters and the American Social Realists, Turner’s subjects were the children you saw playing in the front yard or a group of familiar, working-class women socializing.

Aside from the spirited people of his hometown, Turner was drawn to jazz music and notable artists of the genre. The 1992 painting, Sax Player, is an vivid portrait of a musician amongst the background of a dazzling cityscape.  The bright, colorful skyscrapers shine through a translucent saxophone player that’s painted in a glowing blue.  The painting feels inspired by Kandinsky, and Turner’s appreciation for art history is displayed in his unique hybrid style.

Today, Turner is regarded as one of the greatest artists from Philidelphia, and his works resides in the private collections of  director Woody Allen, Dr. Maya Angelou, the artist formerly known as Prince and the legendary, Bill Cosby. After a battle with lung cancer in 2001, Turner passed away before his time at age 58. His paintings still reside at the Deshong Museum and have joined the collections at Penn State University, Widener University and Swarthmore College.

Copyright: October Gallery 2013

Inner City Blues by Andrew Turner
Inner City Blues by Andrew Turner

In segregated, wartime America, making art against the odds

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In the early 1940s, a young man named John Biggers enrolled at Hampton Institute, a black college near Norfolk, at the same time that Viktor Lowenfeld, a painter and art scholar who had fled Nazi persecution in Austria, arrived to establish the school’s art department.

The artistic aspirations that nourished them both — after the teacher dissuaded the student from majoring in plumbing so that he might dedicate himself to the brush and easel — form the thematic core of “The Hampton Years,” a world-premiere dose of history-laced edu-tainment from D.C. playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton and Theater J.

The drama, based on real people and directed with care by Shirley Serotsky, shows off the impressive research Lawton has done in constructing her account of a time of awakening for African American artists. An audience emerges after two hours in the Goldman Theater at the DC Jewish Community Center agreeably enlightened about efforts at Hampton — today known as Hampton University — to fortify young black men and women for a world resistant to their artistic goals.

What isn’t revealed powerfully enough at this stage of the play’s development is the tale’s specialness. Lawton’s genteel treatment is certainly edifying, and if imparting information is the play’s ultimate aim, then the mission has been accomplished. But if pursuing dramatic tension is also part of the plan, “The Hampton Years” has not quite reached the finish line.

The nebulous obstacle challenging both Viktor (Sasha Olinick) and John (Julian Elijah Martinez) is an establishment in wartime America that’s not yet willing to accept black painters and sculptors into the mainstream — or even, in many cases, into the buildings. “The Hampton Years” has characters recount the indignities that racism and segregation impose on black intellectuals, as in the story of how a group of black students had to find a surreptitious way to traverse a segregated park to enter an art museum.

The report of this incident and others — such as the account by one of John’s classmates (Crashonda Edwards) of the sculpture of hers purchased by a Virginia museum ending up on a shelf in the basement — are more interesting than what the play shows us of life in Viktor’s department. Viktor’s struggles with the college administration over the magnitude of his vision, for example, seem ordinary. What department chair worth his or her salt hasn’t contended with budget constraints and meddling administrations?

This might be an accurate reflection of how things were at Hampton; it’s just not gut-grabbing. And, as portrayed with a thick German accent and distracted air by Olinick, Viktor remains a rather one-dimensional touchstone. (Ze scenes in da haus mit Olinick und Sarah Douglas, az his vife, Margaret, reminded me of the moment in “Casablanca” when the German refugee husband asks his wife for the time by saying, “What watch?” and she responds with, “Ten watch.”)

The magnetic Martinez has more success as eager young John, who would go on, after following Lowenfeld to his next job at Penn State, to a career as a muralist. And Edwards, a key player in Theater J’s recent staging of David Mamet’s “Race,” gives another highly watchable performance here, as a gifted student in her own right, unhappily vying for attention with the teacher’s pet.

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Nahum Tschacbasov Retrospective: Exhibit Of Avant-Garde Artist Goes On View For Russian Heritage Month

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The canvases of Russian-born artist Nahum Tschacbasov are filled with familiar themes — quasi-religious imagery, romantic landscapes, not-so-subtle references to being an artist. With brushstrokes reminiscent of Peter Doig and ghostly figures that echo Picasso’s, the paintings evoke a pleasant feeling of deja-vu.

Most art admirers are probably unaware of the Tschacbasov’s prominence in the United States– maybe it’s the extremely Russian-sounding name. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan (a territory of Russia back in 1899), Mr. Tschacbasov dominated the New York art world from the 1930s to the 1950s, displaying his intricate, symbol-laden works in the halls of art havens like the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum. He painted alongside Mark Rothko in the Dissenters Ten, formed his own fine arts school in Woodstock and even threw his expertise into the teaching academy of the Art Students League.

An upcoming exhibition at New York’s National Arts Club is celebrating this forgotten — or perhaps never rightly well-known — artist with over fifty of his works. It seems fitting that the show comes just in time for Russian Heritage Month, don’t you think? From his classical, Byzantine-inspired portraits to his more surreal, psychologically-stirring compositions, the retrospective represents Tschacbasov’s first solo exhibition in over 25 years.

Many of Tschacbasov’s later paintings, expressive pieces that gravitate toward themes of dying and rebirth, will be on view at the Arts Club. Most of these works, dating back to the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, are rarely seen paintings created in the decades after Tschacbasov slipped out of the spotlight. Scroll through the slideshow below for a peek at the Russian artist’s style and let us know what you think of the avant-garde figure in the comments.

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Tala Madani’s Painted World Of Middle Aged Men

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Imagine a world populated only by middle aged men, left to fumble through their daily activities with a heavy dose of masculinity and self-seriousness that so often plagues the male set. This is the scenario posited by Iranian-American artist Tala Madani, whose satirical paintings excel at seriously poking fun. We agree with Roberta Smith when she said, “Her works assert that the political is not only personal, painterly and painful but also deeply, affectingly comical and at times nearly abstract.”

Madani, who moved from Iran to the U.S. at 10 years old, paints dreamy, gestural political cartoons that deliver not a singular punchline, but an ambiguous feeling and nervous giggle. Bizarre scenarios ripe with machismo, violence, insecurity, camaraderie and homoeroticism occupy Madani’s canvases.

In “Morris Men,” bald men donning pastel tights do the splits in harmony, their disgruntled faces humorously contrasting their delicate limbs. The even stranger “Grass Bite” depicts two bald white men, their hairy bellies spilling out from beneath their wife-beaters. One man eats a large frond of grass from out of the other’s classic blue jeans, a look of solid determination across his face. Madani’s paintings, like the cross-pollination of a political message and an absurd dream, show how often abstraction can most sharply deliver a point.

Madani’s largest solo exhibition to date, including over 80 paintings, will show at theModerna Museet Malmö until October 25, 2013. If you are not in the area, check out a sample from the exhibition below.

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‘At-Risk’ Teens Produce Interesting Artwork As Teacher Aims To Reduce Graffiti

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It appears that this California teacher has truly reached his students.

In an effort to avoid doling out detentions for graffiting at the alternative high school where he teaches, Reddit user RedPenVandal allows his students to draw at their desks. The doodles, which he posted in an album on Reddit, are both beautiful and inspiring.

In a Reddit thread, the teacher explained how he works at a high school for “at-risk” students, meaning his students were previously at risk of not graduating from their regular high school. Many of his these students, RedPenVandal wrote, have been in trouble with the law or have children.

He allows them to draw at their desks upon finishing their classwork, and he often posts the drawings on the walls of his classroom. The drawings, which include images of skulls, drug paraphernalia and aliens, display the talents of budding artists who may not have previously had a constructive art outlet.

“It gives them a sense of pride in the classroom, and it acts as their version of an art gallery,” RedPenVandal posted on Reddit. “During downtime sometimes a couple kids will just stand there looking at the pieces and comparing lettering styles, etc.”

Reddit users lauded the teacher for his dedication to his students.

“Thank you for having the sense to foster their artistic prowess instead of trying to repress it,” wrote Notanobelisk.

“You sound like a really good teacher. Please keep it up. Creativity can be a gateway to a productive future,” wrote PlanningParty.

At the same time, doodling could positively affect more than just RedPenVandal’s students’ creative senses. A 2009 study suggests that doodling actually improves memory.

View examples of the students’ artwork in the slideshow below. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section.

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