 ââŠthe goal of the artist must be aesthetic development, and in a universal sense, to make in his own way some contribution to culture.â
âNorman Lewis
Making a âcontribution to the cultureâ has always been a big part of the motivation behind my entry into the art community and I have made every attempt to remain true to myself as an artist and to those on whose shoulders I stand. Most of the people that inspired my earliest works are not artists themselves and these early muses were a select few friends and family members that were themselves observers of cultural movements. I would reflect back on the masters of art in the history of the black artist and their works would inspire something in my soul that would find itself landing on the canvas however it was the lives that they lived outside of the public images that would inspire me personally. Norman Lewis (Painter), Claud McKay (Poet/Writer), Aaron Douglas (Painter), and many others led me to wonder how they lived when they were not creating. How did they pay the bills when paintings were not flying off the easels? What were their personalities like? Were they good people? According to my research Iâve found that most of these luminaries were blue collar folks that lived and worked jobs, raised families, and struggled their way towards greatness. They gained their legendary status amongst the black arts community as much for their perseverance as for their artistic ability. This provides inspiration for those of us that are facing these same struggles to remain focused and dedicated to the craft. There are generations of artists coming up behind us that need to have these artistic expressions as a linguist option. We commit ourselves to the arts so that our descendants can say with pride that they are culturally bilingual in that they speak both the language of their ancestors in word, in spirit, and with the language of art. This is why I am dedicated to continuing the legacy of these mothers and fathers of our culture while tirelessly contributing my two-cents for future generations to draw inspiration from. #thesoulsofartfolks
Remembering the Masters: Norman Lewis "...the goal of the artist must be aesthetic development, and in a universal sense, to make in his own way some contribution to culture."