THE COLOR OF BLACK AND WHITE
In this body of work The Color of Black and White I felt the need to connect to a culture that is similar to and different from my own. As I developed these paintings, my attitude and spirit opened more fully to all people, no matter what their color or creed. I have a dear friend who I met in a Spanish class over 20 years ago. Jonathan is an African-American. We discuss at length the relevant concerns over black and white relations. Overt prejudice still exists today, as he feels the burning sensation of stares and rude comments almost every day. We feel as close as brother and sister, and it pains me to hear that it is only the color that people sometimes see. The color of black and white portraits and figures is meant to open the book again that seems to have been partially closed after Martin Luther King Jr. died, it is meant to reveal that although progress exists, we have a long way to go to opening, letting in the color and cultures of others foreign to ourselves.
