the paintings of musicians bring intention to celebrate and sustain the musicians and culture of this place.. grateful
the paintings of musicians bring intention to celebrate and sustain the musicians and culture of this place.. grateful
Queen Deva - Rock i & i soul
oil on hemp canvas, framed in Mudcloths and Baule Indigo cloth by artists in Mali and Ivory Coast.. dimensions (framed) are around 6’ x 4’ (72” x 50”)
Inspired by Deval Mahal (six of saturn 3 keys performance), a longtime fan of her Dad.. feeling the same devotion, love and awe… framed this painting in sacred fabrics similar to the Tibetan Thangka paintings of Deities/ Bodhisattvas. The softness of the the fabrics feels like the divine feminine, as well the pink in the painting and the mudcloth. This painting began in 2019 as a sumi ink painting, with a more forward portrait/ direct gaze. Over these years, the painting emerged and evolved in oils, the bright pink background, her more ecstatic and inward gaze, the 7 Chakras of Yoga/Vedas. As an artist I am moved by the mystery of how some paintings emerge, and my role as a channel of this mystery. And the fabrics, I intuitively stoped at the atelier of a local artist selling West African textiles, they said Deva was one of the first people to purchase the Baule Indigo cloth from her, (above the painting). The Mudcloths and Baule Indigo cloth are made by artists in Mali and Ivory Coast.
Jazz in the Caribbean / Etienne Charles Sextet
Oil on Canvas, 30" x 30"
Painted from a Live Concert at the Jazz and Heritage Center in New Orleans of Trinidadian musician Etienne Charles and his Jazz Ensemble
Jazz for Allah
Oil on Canvas, 30" x 30"
Painted from a Live Concert at French Quarter Fest inspired by Shannon Powell's Jazz Band
West African Adinkra visual proverbs:
Gye Nyame (God Supreme)
Aya: (fern) endurance and resourcefullness
Osram Ne Nsoromma: (moon and star) love, faithfulness, harmony
Star : Child of the Heavens
Acrylic on canvas 24” x 24” x 1.5”
Painted live at Tubman Square. New Orleans deeply rooted and powerful musical tradition and spirit.
Live Music, Brass Band: Drum and Tuba
high pigment acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24" x 1.5
Painted live at Tubman Square. Working with the Seven Chakra System and the vibrations of the Live music. This painting emerged with layers over time.
Wild Lotus Band in the Bhav
Wild Lotus Band in the Bhav
40” x 40” Oil on Canvas, and another oil painting of just the band, remixed digitally. frame: acrylic on wood
Commissioned Painting of Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band, highly regarded in western kirtan music, and local to New Orleans. Begun live at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree, California, during the band's headlining performance. Complex composition, based on form of mandala, a space that is visualized, rather than visual perspective. The form and space of the painting is expansive, to evoke the feeling of the collective realm of heart/mind experience. Responding to Bhakti Spirit, yoga community, the deities of Krishna, Lakshmi, Shiva, Hanuman, and Ganesha ever present at the festival. Painting of the desert landscape from plein air studies.
Oil and high-pigment fluid acrylic on hemp canvas, Custom cypress and cedar frame 40” x 26”
This painting of Helen Gillet is inspired by an intimate live performance 'artist residency' at Zeitgeist. The background was painted live at the show, and based on projections by the artist Shivers.
Liberation Elevation Education / (Educate Agitate Organize)
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18"
Turntables by Janelle Monáe
(Aurora Nealand)
Oil On Canvas 18” x 24” x .75” $711
Custom Historic Cypress Frame
Inspired by live Sunday afternoon spring performance on Frenchmen Street. Contrast lighting from window lit stage, and Aurora's understated sensuality, and again that truth/beauty