A Glimpse Of My Art (The L.O.T.E Tree)

Been a long time since I've posted here. As Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) said on his "Black On Both Sides" debut album, a lot of things have changed, a lot of things have not. Also been a long time since I've touched a brush, marker, or anything art-related. Lonnie Ali, the widow of the late Muhammad Ali (RA) said Parkinson's Disease robs you of your confidence. I can attest to that. Developing arthritis in my left hand only adds more sugar to the Kool-Aid. Typing has become a trial of epic proportions. I think I can do about 15-20 words a minute now. LOL. But it's all life right? And this life is a test. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be tested. This is a piece I've been woking on, and finally decided on a name. Introducing The L.O.T.E Tree. The Lesser Of Two Evils. Maybe someday, God Willing, I'll do into depth about it. Stay Tuned and take care.

Morning Stroll - 16 x 20 Mixed Media On Wood Panel - Now available on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/QuwwaArt/listing/676464721/morning-stroll-16-x-20-mixed-media?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1548000482896

Brief Pastel Timelapse Video

A Little Art For A Change

Art patron views my piece Envisioning Freedom at the ART214 Exhibit, where the reception was held this past Sunday.

It's been a minute since I've actually blogged, for several reasons, some personal, and on some occasions it just felt as if the timing wasn't right.

For example I wanted so bad to discuss these plethora of marches that are going on, especially in the U.S.A, especially doing a close-up on my opinion of one David Hogg, and the March For Our Lives event that took place last March, but other things got in the way, and after trying to discuss this issue with people, it seems as if  I needed to gather my thoughts before I go full blast on what I see as a serious failure to connect going on in America, which concludes in all of these marches and rallies going on in this country.

Trust me. I haven't left, nor forgotten, because I just have a funny feeling things will come back around, and this situation will be discussed at length again. Why do I feel this way?

Simple, we haven't learned our lesson yet. So we're doomed to repeat it in some form or fashion.

But in the meantime and in between time, I wanted to show a couple of pics from the ART214 exhibit going on right now in Dallas, Texas, where 4 different cultural centers celebrated this occasion by selecting artists residing in the Greater Dallas area, the Bath House, Latino, South Dallas, and Oak Cliff Cultural Centers.




My piece entitled "Envisioning Freedom" was selected to be displayed at the Bath House Cultural Center, located at White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas.




Envisioning Freedom is simply a token gesture at paying homage to those previous generations who strove for freedom and justice against great odds being  levied against them. Regardless of whether I agree with some of their stances and tactics, they must be given their due respects, and their histories fully narrated and analyzed, whether  the outcome was successful or not, in order to continue the struggle, and claim victory in the end.

Envisioning Freedom, created by the artist, is now on exhibit at the Bath House Cultural Center from March 24th to April 21st, 2018.

This is not the first time I've done such a piece, I did a piece for Staff Sgt. Homer Hogues in 2013, and presented it to him at a tribute for his contributions to the Tuskegee Airmen. It was a great event, and the piece was well received by him and the family, as well as the community of Highland Hills, who finally got a chance to pay tribute to a legendary figure, who lived in the area. 

Doing pieces like these has taught me a great lesson in telling stories, regardless of my personal opinions. 

I'm now waiting to hear word from an upcoming exhibit, Art and Activism, slated to be held at the South Dallas Cultural Center from May 5th to July 29th, 2018. I'll be sure to keep y'all posted....

Until next time....

Still At It....

12 x 16 Pastel painting entitled Safe and Sound. 

Just when I got into the groove of blogging, other things pop up, and blogging takes a back seat. I'm preparing for a showcase coming up in which yours truly will exhibit my work to my local community, something I haven't done in 5 years, and it's been long overdue. This one here promises to be somewhat different than the previous showcase, due to changes in certain areas, especially in the rebuilding of the local library. This is a big plus for me, because not only do I get to exhibit my work, I can also access classrooms with projectors and screens, and trust me, I do have something planned for that as well. I don't want to spill all of the beans right now, but just to inform those who started getting into the habit of reading my blog regularly that I would be off the social topics for a while, but only on this platform.

 I know I had not finished the blog concerning Leslie Jones and Milo Yiannopolous, but in this age of fast food information and hot gossip, it's become passe' anyway, not that it's no longer important to discuss the issue, but one with much insight will see this issue pop up in another way shape or form, and the Leslie vs. Milo incident can be used as a reference point. But that's for people who value critical thinking and reasoning, which is not what our world is concerned with. 

Anyway an extra special thanks to those who take the time to read my lil' ol' blog, it is greatly appreciated. Not to get too involved with stats and metrics, which brings me back to my old customer service rep ways (UGGGH!) but last month set personal records for my blog in terms of views and readership. It's only fitting that I show gratitude in some form for those who take the time out of their busy schedule to come and See What I See (CWATIC). 

Until next time, take care and hang tight, we're only getting started here. 

Peace. 

Well Lookee Here!

Peace All! It's been a very trying time for me, dealing with delays and other things that dealt with my art,  along with other issues, and to be honest, it took a great toll on me. My blogging and my web presence suffered greatly, and burnout seeped in. I had blogs planned from Nicki  Minaj to Azealia Banks to Bill Cosby(again), but gotta take care of home first, meaning my personal life.Maybe call it dogged determination or faith, but I'm still at it. Just wanted to brief you on what's going on in my life, and the blogs will keep coming, God Willing. There's always something to blog about.

The above piece was a  12 x 12 that I went over in black about a couple of weeks ago. Didn't want to, especially with the texture, but I'm finding my art needs more space, and this was one of those pieces. I don't think I can define clearly what I want to express on a 12 x 12, so hopefully for future ideas, I'm keeping the photo.

Take care, more to come.

Whatcha Up To Q?

Peace All... I'm working on a small blog about the Charles Barkley situation, but before I go into specifics about that subject, being that it's been such a long time that I've actually blogged about anything, let alone shown any of my artwork, I'd thought I send a smidgen of something that I'm working on right now. More later! Enjoy!

Fish and Chips 2

Peace all....

After a couple of weeks away from it all, I come back to the blog feeling refreshed, and ready to let loose on an array of topics. Little did I know that I would be bombarded with subject matter that would kinda distract me from the blogs I had initially planned, but no biggie, I mean after all, I planned to do a blog on the controversial show Scandal, which has the African American community in an uproar, dividing lines especially amongst the genders, ranging from topics about interracial dating, and most of all does the show depict African American women in a stereotypical manner, as hypersexual, power-hungry, scandalous women whose ultimate quest in regards to relationships is with a priviliged White male. I want to delve deeper into this highly emotionally charged subject because I believe strongly that nothing happens in a vacuum, especially in terms of the media, which Gunnar Myrdhal contended in his book American Dilemna: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, is a very important link in regards to information and the education of diverse ethnic groups in America.  If this is so, we are in trouble Black people.

Then this issue popped up....

Meet the latest concession in America's Colorblind Society, Sasheer Zamata, who is now lauded as the latest Black female cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live late night television show. Zamata comes in at a peculiar moment, after SNL received flack for "lack of diversity" especially after cast member Kenan Thompson's alleged statement about Black women not being "funny enough" to make the show. Then we had the Kerry Washington episode, which I have no earthly idea what that was about either, except maybe it was a half-hearted attempt by NBC and SNL to mock their own insensitivities.

So I did a little research on Sasheer, and came across a few videos, and after watching Pursuit of Sexiness Pt 1 and More Great Moments in Black Hipstery, I became even more convinced of the constant perpetuation of Black stereotypes broadcasted by all forms of media throughout the globe, continuing this hideous portrayal of Blacks as hypersexual, native, excessive, inferior creatures having little or no understanding at all about the essentials of life, only looking for material things to compensate for their lack of intellect or mores.

Even more troubling was the caption I read below the Pursuit of Sexiness video which reads:

Best friends and troublemakers(incompetent, wretched, aloof) Nicky(played by African American actress Nicole Byer) and Sheer are broke, single, and (adorably!) self-absorbed. They're looking for good men(no black men are in the first video), easy money(golddiggers) and free meals(cheap) but would be satisfied to break even and find a guy who doesn't prematurely ejaculate(hypersexual). It's life, liberty and the pursuit of sexiness. How freakin' convenient. Multiple stereotypes of Black women laid out in just a few sentences. I mean come on now, NOBODY sees this?


I won't even mention the double standards that Blacks put on each other, because if this was done by a Black male, especially a rapper, I shudder at the thought of all of the cries of misogyny from Black women...well maybe I did just mention it.

How can this obvious form of self degradation of a marginalized people be seen  as an accomplishment, ala Kerry Washington's fame from Scandal? Looking at the comments on Youtube by both Black and White, one can only see a troublesome future in race relations for both communities. I mean as Blacks finally begin to understand the inconsistencies of America's Colorblind Society, which still have Blacks and Latinos as the most incarcerated, under-educated, most-profiled, least tended to by the state, resulting in an ever-declining quality of life, they throw another bone, and we eat it up, and give kudos to the performers who will in turn muffle out the cries of the marginalized, whom they've made fun of, all for a few dollars, and five minutes of fame on the front cover of Ebony and Jet. Did SNL hire her based on her "merits" or because of her ability to continue lampooning and demeaning a people, and to silence the critics in the process? All I know is that it doesn't look to good from where I'm standing. Reporting Live From Edgeville.

Shutdowns, Breakdowns and Meltdowns (Part 1)

Peace all, Writing this blog from a personal standpoint can be therapeutic at times, and sometimes it can become more of a hindrance than good. It really depends on the mood that I'm in, which has been shifting constantly in the past few months. What started out as good and promising has turned completely upside down, and my mood changes have become more obvious than ever, and so has my language. Obviously something is not the same with me. Right now I'm sitting on the floor of the library, which has now become a familiar spot with me, multitasking as usual, not being able to get a single task done. I used to think that my lack of concentration or lack of focusing on getting one task done was due to my scatterbug nature. That was until a couple of weeks ago I was looking up an issue on the interest regarding depression and anxiety. Once I read the symptoms, I stopped wondering about the other person and started looking at myself. It's no secret that I've suffered from depression, especially when one reads previous posts I've written in the past, especially in regards to some of the escapades I've experienced in the high stress call center environment, however I did not realize what I was doing was due to a depressing state. I thought I had it managed pretty well ya know? Whenever I became depressed I would find myself walking throughout the neighborhood, sometimes equipped with my headphones and MP3 player and sometimes not, only to come back home somewhat refreshed, but it's reached epic proportions now. It came to a head this past July while doing contract work for a company. I was helping to move computers and networking hardware, not harming anyone at anytime, thinking that after working a couple of weeks here I could earn a nice amount of money to hold me down until something more permanent or more lasting comes along. Things didn't look so promising after the first couple of days as the two men who headed the project were behind in their duties, leaving the contractors with very little to do the first couple of days, so we were made to leave early. On the following Wednesday, I received word that my services would no longer be needed, as I was told that a couple of people complained about me, but he would not go into detail about the nature of the complaint. In reality he didn't have to, I've been discriminated and profiled against too many times to act like I don't know the reasons why I'm being treated in such fashion. The funny thing was although I was told some people complained against me, the agency I worked for was not told such things, only don't send me back to the site. I immediatedly told the recruiter what I feel was the issue, and I explained that I'm Muslim and I do have a full beard, but that in no way has been or will be a detriment to my work ethic or my reputation as a honest, law abiding citizen. Being African American and Muslim has given me the upclose opportunity to see first hand how ignorance and racism has and will continue to pull this country down, while it's citizens point fingers everywhere except the right places to hold the right people accountable, meanwhile people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds continue to suffer at the hands of someone else's stupidity. It hasn't stopped there. This discrimination has taken on new forms, such as an agency calling me a couple of weeks inquiring, or should I say profiling me about a position I had applied for. The recruiter seemed pleased with my resume, and then came the questions. NOPE, no felonies, no default on a college loan(although I fail to see how this should affect my status as one who is capable of troubleshooting computer equipment in the first place), no bad credit, except in the area of having a car repossessed three years ago, as a result of losing my job, making me unable to continue to pay on my car...so poverty becomes a punishment now huh? So now poverty is a character flaw instead of a socio-economic issue huh? One that renders the person into a caste of those who can't cut it? So much for the land of opportunity, huh? And they wonder why people go illegal? Matter of fact, I don't even think they even wonder about that, especially when conditions are created by these scavengers and parasites that leave those on the outskirts of society, scrappin' and scrapin' just trying to break even...They just feign concern...they don't really care... I'll continue this later....Peace out....www.qartworks.com

Sum-ma Sum-ma Summahtime!!! (Scenes from the Uncensored Exhibit)





Had a great time at the Art Hotel's Uncensored Exhibit in Downtown Dallas on June 15th. Saw some amazing work, also received news that the gallery is moving from its Downtown location and heading up north to the Gallery at Midtown at Valley View Mall. Kinda saddened in a way, but happy for them, especially because there will be more space for them(and me too!) to exhibit their work, and plus being in the mall will give them a bigger presence, especially since the Gallery at Midtown holds an artwalk every third Saturday of the month.  I tried submitting my work to the gallery about a month ago, but ran into some difficulties. Hope this move will work out for them.

Some people(like me) took a lot of shots that night, although for viewer discretion, I didn't include any of the mature themes in this blog. Guess you had to be there to see it. The piece on the wall was done by Sharon Neal Bagley, one of the co-ops at the gallery. Couldn't take separate pics of the piece, so I got it all in one shot. Please excuse the lady taking pictures....lol

This is another interesting piece by Rita Barnard, entitled Ball of Confusion, a piece that also contained a book made by her describing the inspiration behind the piece. She had a lot of questions, especially after her only sister died of cancer. This made her question a lot of things in life, and she also offered viewers to add their own questions.

Artist Samantha McNulty created these two exciting pieces called Escape. They were done with screenprint and other mediums. This gave me some ideas about some things I am working on, especially with the screenprint.



This was a nice piece about Bob Dylan. I can't remember who the artist is who created it, but they also included some 3D glasses, to give it a certain feel when you look at it. I didn't try it out though.



This is my piece Hardwired 101, which is a look into addiction. I want to get the people to start looking at addiction in an emphathetic way, instead of casting judgement on people for either becoming addicted or not rehabilitating as quick as we would like for them to.  I'm pleased with the outcome, but I want to do more, and increase the scale.

Another patron looking at my second entry entitled Portrait of My Hood. This piece gathered alot of attention and compliments for the theme and styling. The sides of the canvas have collage ranging from lotto tickets to condom boxes, depicting scenes and thoughts about the area I live.

I enjoyed this piece as well, although the name and the artist escapes me. My sincerest apologies to the artist.



This is one of the funniest and best pieces there. It's an assemblage entitled The Nut Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree. It's filled with some of the most peculiar statements that former President George W. Bush made while in office. The one that got me was the statement that he wanted to shake the hand of the brave Iraqi who had his hands cut off. I'm still tripping over that one.



  

Overall is was a great event, and what a way to cap off a great first half of the year artwise for the Q. I was blessed to participate in 4 shows, two at the TVAA Gallery earlier in the year, the TVAA New Members and the Wildness of Nature exhibits, and two with the Art Hotel Collective's exhibits The Whole Enchilada and Uncensored. Not bad for someone who basic is not known in the art scene. I had hoped that my work would be considered for the New Texas Talent show at the Craighead Green Gallery, but that looks bleak. Am I down? Honestly, yes, but not too down.  I've enjoyed the openings I've crashed at the Continental Gin Studios, Waleed Arshad, Jamaal Stafford, Kijana Martin, Janice Thacker, Jerome Bolden, and others that I've had the privilege to meet and greet and share infomation. I may take a break from it all, especially in getting ready for Ramadhan, the Islamic month of fasting, which should start in July, but I do have a community program in late July, where I will be helping the youth in creating collages.  Hopefully I can resurface in late August, when the Art Hotel Collective opens up at the Gallery in Midtown...who knows? Take care all... www.qartworks.com

                                          

Yeah...I'm Here....(Hardwired 101)

peace all....Been a while but I've been busy, that's all I can say at the moment...LOL....Anyway I want to briefly mention a show this upcoming Saturday in Downtown Dallas that I'm exhibiting two pieces in...the name of the exhibit is UNCENSORED...oooooooh....that's all I can say on that note.

This gives me a chance to touch up on some issues that's been kicking my head around, and I finally found an avenue to let it all loose...Now that's not saying that I don't feel comfortable with the TVAA Gallery in Downtown Dallas, but as I stated in an earlier post that you do have to know your audience when you venture into certain galleries, for everyone has different tastes, along with different limits, and I have no problem at all with that. While submitting my pieces at the gallery, I got a glimpse at a couple of pieces from other artists...I began to wonder if I should even participate because of some of the subject matter that were present. Truth is although the exhibit is uncensored, I do keep a personal censorship in what I present, for reasons I won't go into detail here. But after thinking about what I could represent here, I wanted to be there even more. My work which comes from personal/firsthand accounts, along with other things I've read or was told, is more geared with the struggles of the common human, especially from my neck of the woods, which I call Edgeville. At any time in my area I can be hit up for anything from food, money, even bus passes. One on the weirdest incidents came from a person who asked me for money for gas for his car. He's in a car, I'm walking, but he's asking me for gas money. Then he gets mad when I explain I don't have money. Beginning to think this consistent begging for things is more psychological than anything. I mean I believe that many people who panhandle are doing so out of panic of the mere mentioning of a KRMNL economy. But I guess if you're trained to think that these people had your best interest in heart, I can understand why the sudden panic when it becomes apparent that they can care less....

This is an excerpt of a work that will be presented at the exhibit entitled Hardwired 101...It's an introductory look at addiction of all sorts. It's a 20 x 20 piece that I can say I loved working on, but after looking at it, I wanted to increase the size...God Willing I will be looking into making an even larger piece. I can't get all that I wanted into the piece, so it encourages me to make more pieces centering around this topic. Hence the 101...This is just the beginning, God Willing...

There's another piece entitled Portrait of My Hood, but I don't think pictures will even justify that one...I may post it though...

It's going to be interesting though...that's all I can say....Yeah...I'm Here....Deal with it....

Salaams and Good Evening.... www.qartworks.com

Act ONE!!!!

Peace all!!! Working on this blog thingy again...took a lot of pictures of several exhibits I went to, but since this iiiiiissssss myyyyy blog, why not start off with a shameless plug?

This past weekend I participated in a showing at the Art Hotel Collective in Downtown Dallas. The name of the exhibit was entitled The Whole Enchilada, which allowed artists to submit up to two pieces of work not having any particular theme or subject matter in mind, just let it fly. SOOO, being the opportunist that I am, I took advantage to introduce another section of Downtown Dallas to the skillset. The two pieces I submitted were actually shown at the TVAA Gallery earlier this year, entitled Waiting and This Feeling, but that was to a different crowd. Having to understand who frequents what particular galleries is very essential when choosing which work you wish to exhibit.

It seemed to have really caught on here at the Art Hotel, where many artists as well as enthusiasts were gazing at the work, especially the one entitled This Feeling, which is made from oil pastels and Micaceous Iron Oxide, which helped give the canvas that dark, gritty texture.

When I entered I noticed people were looking at the work, and I wanted to see their natural reactions, which is best, so I went in incognito, but I was informed that I had to wear a tag, since I was one of the participating artists....DRATS!  

All in all, the results and the comments were very positing and I look forward to tomorrow's second showing....

More later....Take care!  www.qartworks.com

....it all comes together....

Peace all,

Busy month...all I can say...but hoping I can get back into the swing of things online reeeeeeeel soooon.

But I have been making treks and inroads on the local scene, which has been taking up most of my time, along with researching things from art to politics and art and politricks and....oh my...forget the dog, a library is my best friend! Recently I've checked out a few DVD's regarding modern art, and starting to get the hang of it...but that Coalaca piece don't work for me. For those that don't know Coalaca is a Spanish word(if my memory is working) meaning "toilet". This artist makes this sculpture out of washers and sinks, and it's rigged to actually take the food sent into the drain to come out as excrement...Yeah, real live crap! What's more people are pricing and collecting CRAP!!! People sure can test the waters can they?

Anyway, all in all I got some good insight on these videos, and now with a little money(heh heh) I can really get some things cooking!

...Gotta show some work to a fellow artist who works at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center tomorrow...working on an exhibit hopefully next year...Keep ya posted!

Then I have a couple of pieces showing at the Art Hotel in Downtown Dallas...it's a group showing...hope to have more pics on hand for that one! Lemme get outta here because I'm hungry! Peace out!

Onto The Next Adventure

Peace all...


Been having mucho problems with internet, even in the library. Can't upload pictures like I wanted to for some strange reason....Anyway....

The Wildness of Nature Exhibit at the TVAA Gallery is over, and I've picked up my pieces, only to find that my local library wanted to exhibit a couple of my pictures. Hey, no problemo...

So two of the pieces, Butterfly and Taken For Granted are now showing at the Highland Hills Library, and now the library wants to show any other pictures that gives a "springlike" vibe, so I'm in the process of concocting a couple more pieces. I'm very grateful for their support, and I'm praying to get the chance to do another exhibit there SOON!!! I'm working on a subject matter, I'm just praying that I can get some space to get to work, because now the scale of my pieces are increasing, which I wanted to do in the first place. I love the small pieces, but it's time to enlarge my work.

Don't get me wrong, I love doing nature works, and want to do some still life pics in the near future, but right now I'm chomping at the bits to get back to my long standing work. It helps me stay grounded.

I love the Texas Visual Artists Association gallery because they change up themes monthly, and that keeps me on my toes, and gives me a chance to expand. But I have no works to show in the next two months at the gallery, one reason was the April exhibit had an expiration date in February that I overlooked, and the May exhibit is a private exhibit...so that gives me two months to wreak havoc around the art districts. I'm targeting the Deep Ellum Arts Festival this weekend, God Willing...

Until next time, take care....oh by the way, check out the new website WWW.QARTWORKS.COM!!!

Peace!!!

Q crashes da gallery!

Peace all...had a great weekend crashing the South Dallas Cultural Center's opening. This opening featured two amazing women artists, Janice Thacker and Kijana Martin, who lives in the DFW area. This being women's month we were served with a double dose of thought provoking art. Janice Thacker, whom I met a couple of years ago, has some of the most amazing acrylic paintings, where the people are outlined in markers, as she described to me in the first meeting. She also has some great work with poetry included about the struggles and tribulations from slavery. I hope to go back and photograph some of those pics asap.

I met Kijana Martin at the reception, and the picture that caught my attention is a two piece presentation centering around the death of Cicely Bolden, a young lady who lived in my area who was murdered last year after telling her lover after having sex with him that she had the AIDS virus. She leaves behind two small children, and this tragedy has a lot of twists and turns included, however Ms. Martin wanted to touch on the subject of tragedy, but also learning the lessons, accountability of one's own actions, and making choices that maybe can prevent future tragedies from occurring. The second part is entitled Shattered, giving the viewer an opportunity to look at a broken mirror, which shows how making the wrong choices can destroy dreams and lives. I went home thinking about this piece especially, and hopefully in the near future, I'm going to find a way to present it in maybe a joint exhibit, or whatever. The most important part of thought provoking art is to get it out there and start dialogue.

Originally I intended to crash two openings that weekend, but sometimes things get in the way. I found myself talking both of these artists' ears off, and with the St. Patricks' weekend jamming up downtown and traffic, I settled with just this one opening this time. But I have no regrets.

Take care...Q has just started...

The Wildness of Nature Exhibit

Peace all,

I know I'm behind on my blogging about my artwork, but as you already know Q's art world is as topsy-turvy as it can get, especially since I'm basically a newbie in this art scene, as far as galleries are concerned. Right now I just want to give you a small glimpse of three pieces I will presenting in The Wildness of Nature Exhibit coming next month at the TVAA Gallery in Dallas, Texas. I hope to have more in-depth pics and maybe a more comprehensive slideshow/video in the future. Take care.

All I'm asking....R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!!

Peace all,

Hoping that this blog reaches everyone in great health and spirits. I know it's been awhile since blogging, but all of my social media has suffered as well, especially Twitter and Blogger. In reality all of this networking became a serious burnout and a source of depression for me after releasing some of artwork to the public to little or no response. I felt that I was doing something wrong, and that people weren't getting what I was trying to convey to the public, as well as people were being somewhat finicky and sometimes downright disrespectful in my work. Take for example last month a "fellow artist" came to my local library, saw my work and loved one of my pieces, and wanted to purchase it. I made the mistake of asking how much she thought it was worth, and she replied that she didn't want to disrespect me, but told me $100. This was for one of my prize pieces that everyone seems to like and related to. I felt disrespected, but regardless I asked could she pay $200(which is STILL lowballing) and she stated she would have to save up. I told her no problem, gave her a card, and tried to make it accessible for her to purchase it. She emails me a week later saying she can't do the $200, and tried to negotiate again for $100. With that I refused to reply to her at all. Lesson learned... I'm realizing there is more to this thing than meets the eye, but I won't go into it right now. My spirit is now starting to rejuvenate to the point where I'm enjoying what I do again and go out to just shoot pictures and do more artwork. This was not a positive summer to say the least, but I hope things will pick up for me. This coming Sunday some of my work will be on display and for sale at an art fair in Dallas. I won't be present due to other priorities, but someone is going to display it for me. I hope that I will spark some type of interest when it's all said and done. I hope to be back real soon to talk about my next exhibit and the meaning behind it, so stay tuned family. Take care! Luv Ya!

Public Enemy performs "Rebel Without a Pause" on Soul Train 1987

Peace all,

This was one of my biggest influences growing up. The group, the identity, I even remember having both of their tshirts back in the day...I had both the black and red shirts, and when I wore them in the halls and malls, believe me, it garnered attention as well as spurred thought, whether you agreed with them or not. Looking back I did not fully understand the power of imagery and the effect those screen printed shirts had on the people. Anyway this group had a profound influence on me as far as how to reach and connect with your audience. Although I am more of a visual artist now, the concept of connecting with the people and giving them a sense of hope and a voice couldn't have been expressed any better here. Even Don Cornelius mentioned that that was "FRIGHTENING" However someone posted on Facebook a quote that read "Art should bring comfort to the disturbed, and disturbed the comfortable." Maybe this is what they meant...Take care all.

Painting(Tribute to Sgt. Hogues and the Tuskegee Airmen)

Salaam and Good Evening all...Working on other projects, will fill ya in soon. Right now check out my tribute painting to the Tuskegee Airmen...Take care!

Flip Da Script!

Peace all, Been a wild and wooly week for the Q, finally began to work on some of the apparel that I had stashed away at last year's attempt. This year I came a lot more prepared, still experiencing some trial and error, but that should be expected eh? I finally got a chance to get into some stenciling and screen printing and the results blew me away.  These were inspired by my first exhibition that I held last year entitled See What I See...It was met with a lot of enthusiasm, and I am about to place these articles on my Etsy and my personal website, for those who wish to purchase without having to deal with an Etsy account.  I hope to have more information available next week.  Take care.

CWATIC @ http://www.realquwwa.com