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Artist Aleathia & Averlyn, CEO, Art Off the Main Show
Sound Fussion
Featured Artist: Aleathia Brown of Aleathia's Original Artworks
How did you get your start as an artist?
I began as an artist aware of my name and spirit "Artist" at the age of 3...so getting started for me was the process of creating, experimenting & practicing every second that I could sit down and translate the world I live in — into visual story!
Who were some of your early artistic influences?
Family without even knowing really that they were creative! My mother admired the talents of artists and encouraged my journey by taking me to art museums. She worked for an advertising agency so at times we went to private ticketed exhibitions... the two shows that changed my life and the way I view the world even today was the King Tut Exhibit and Picasso...the wonder and brilliance of works crafted with excellence was powerful and wonderful. But it also made me see that I too can create without limits all of my visual voices and experiences. And then there was the traditional European and Spanish artists that impact my work — Magritte, Dali, Rembrandt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Durer, Cezanne, Van Gogh the list is endless — I love works that tell a story and that are visually time-less!
How would you describe your work?
A collage of styles, mediums and experiences but using my visual voice to overlay. If you know the Artist in History you clearly can see the Homage that I pay without feeling as if they have taken over! I describe my work as spirit filled, color full, storytelling, Music and Movement flowing!
Groomin Grandma: pencil on paper...the bond between generations and family is precious and universal!
What would you like to share about work that you are
presently creating? What is inspriring it or what inspires you
generally?
I literally am making art as this piece is being written — I am mixing images in figurative form with texture and pattern. My works right now are paintings on Burlap, Leather, Canvas, Wood & Paper... all have the essence of movement and color woven throughout each varied surface. The subject must relate to the surface that the work is created on. I have a Bald woman lounging on a sofa with a jazz trio serenading her from behind...this piece is on burlap large as life with straps like a drape with a painted closet pole holding it on the wall! I am inspired by so many things from a conversation to music live.
What kind of response have you gotten from people who buy your work?
Or how do they describe it.
My patrons usually are compelled to share a story from their personal experience. They will look at my art and relate or reflect something that reminds them of pain or joy. I often have then a voluntary analysis of what I am thinking about in the form of their own words, then they will ask how accurate they were! Folks become very passionate about what I do and want to be a part of the piece. I even get a title before they look at my titles; usually it is close or right on the money! For me that means that I am doing my job if they (viewers) can get it without my verbal assistance. Most are lured by my use of color or how bold the images are! But the title of my business came from the most often word conveyed when people look at my artwork "Original" hence "Aleathia's Original Artworks". I believe it is priceless being able to maintain truth in the core of my visual voice.
Jouvey Morning: watercolor, acrylic on paper towel....celebrating the Trinidadian festival in its color, texture and joy!
Any final comments that you would like to share with our readers?
I believe passionately we need to educate folks in the newer generation that lack art and cultural up-bringing from school to home, on the importance of investing in art. Folks who earn with a disposable income in the African American community aren't investing in the arts, comparatively to other cultures! I tell the new home buyer or the individual who can actually decorate their home or apartment that Art is an investment like a house, vacation, car or your education. I offer installment arrangements so that they don't feel afraid or uncertain about purchasing art all at once! But I open and invite a dialogue so that a more personal rapport warms the individual to ask questions and understand what they are getting into. I believe the more informed the person buying my art is, the more sensitive they become about what I offer and put into my art and the journey. Folks should know that the paper trail to each piece is as important as the art they will collect. So I periodically send updates on the new value of a work that I have sold to my clients so they see the growth in their investment!
Thank's Aleathia for sharing your art and ideas with us. I hope you all are inspired to create a life of art that you can enjoy, as Aleathia is doing. Look for Aleathia's original work on our gallery in the near future. You can also see her at these venues and events in the upcoming months:
- January 31- March 10, 2007: "Tapestry of the Diaspora": A group exhibition at Westchester Arts Council. For details call 914-428-4220 or visit www.westarts.com
- February 2 - March 18, 2007: "Plantation Lullabies": A group exhibition at Nobis Gallery in Jersey City. Go to www.nobis-art.com for details.
Sittin' On Attitude: acrylic on newsprint paper....
this was created on stage at the Will Library theater in Yonkers with a spoken word performance and musician playing sax and piano.
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