Three African American women rest and talk in a community garden. They are taking a break from weeding. The painting is colorful, and the row of houses in the background underscores the theme of community.

The finished result. I trimmed the painting in satin quilt binding to make it more clean, ‘tailored,’ and less chaotic.

Hand sewing like that grounds these large paintings. It also grounds me. I imagine a plumb line going down from the base of my spine to the earth’s core as I stitch.

I did it today!

A black man wearing a dark hat, white dress shirt and black jeans stands in front of a graffiti painted wall with a colorful frame surrounding his image.

I’ve added to Mr. Washington’s portrait to give the frame more interest.

Sketch of a little girl leaning on a table that has a plate, a ball, a teapot, a pitcher, and an overturned glass jar on it.

Sketch of a little girl leaning on a table that has a plate, a ball, a teapot, a pitcher, and an overturned glass jar on it.

I’m doing some sketches for a new relief print and maybe a painting as well. I’ve always loved Fairfield Porter’s Lizzie at the Table. This version will be with some of my family’s tableware.

I’m working in printmaking again after a very traumatizing and personally belittling series of experiences in a grad school class many years ago. The first state of the matrix is above in my profile. Here’s the first test print on newsprint.

These are the my final two choices for the re-do of “Rest Break in the Community Garden.” I used Procreate to try out new color combinations virtually before I painted anything irl.

Colorful painting of three African American ladies talking and resting in a garden.

I’m deciding about the background of a large painting I did a year ago. It got damaged, so I have the chance to redo the background. The original one called “Rest Break in the Community Garden,” has an orange background. Some other new options are included as well. It’s 63 x 80 inches.

An African American man stands in a park under a highway overpass. He has a guitar and Ghanaian and Malian designs behind him.

An African American man in a blue suit stands in front of a church. A colorful design is painted behind him.

Mr. Lonnie Chandler, 2024, acrylic and graphite on canvas with sewing, 53x 80 inches.

Rev. Sonny Dixon, 2024, acrylic on canvas with sewing, 53 x 80 inches.

An African American woman stands on a porch behind a small fence next to a potted plant.

This is Ms. Orealia Dooley, 2024, acrylic and graphite on canvas with sewing, 53 x 80 inches.

Here’s Mr. Lorenzo Washington, curator of The Jefferson Street Sound Museum, from 2024.

This is Rev. Elois Freeman’s portrait. Like Mr. Stewart’s, it’s acrylic and graphite on canvas with sewing. Both are 53 x 80 inches from 2024.

This is one of a series of portraits of some of the elders of the Jefferson Street corridor in Nashville, TN. Our once thriving African American neighborhood was home to over 80 music venues, as well as other businesses and homes. Urban renewal and the interstate hwy project decimated it.