SEAN QUALLS - DAILY/WEEKLY PAINTINGS #8

Part of the joy and challenge of being an artist for me,

is not knowing exactly how a work a will evolve or look when finished. And although I usually have something of a vision of what I want, rarely does a painting turn out exactly how I imagined - sometimes it's close and I'm satisfied and sometimes I'm
happily surprised by the results.
Much of my personal work has been inspired and influenced by vintage advertising graphics, more specifically products featuring African-Americans or those geared to
African-Americans.

A few years back, I created this piece based on the idea of a fictitious line of hair products called New Age Hair Grease.


On the same theme, later I did this piece but with no hand lettering.


Fast forward to 2015, I wanted to do more with the NAHG theme. I didn't have a really strong vision of what I wanted the piece to look like but knew that I wanted it to be a step forward from the previous ones.


Especially with my daily/weekly paintings, I try to keep things simple (and small) so 
that I can easily move onto the next one and not get stuck. Simple enough in theory but it seems like there's often a "hiccup" which impedes progress - as it was this piece was leaving me very dissatisfied.

I decided to move onto other paintings but eventually came back to it and decided to strip away most parts, the hand lettering most of all. 


I also wanted to base the face on a woman from a previous piece (above) that I was happier with.


I added more overall contrast.

This was definitely a case where I did not have a strong vision for the final art, but I 
knew it still wasn't quite there. I integrated hand lettering but decided not to continue with the original NAHG theme. I added more subtlety of color and values.

Finally finished.



I have a few prints of some of the above images available ranging from $30-$50 plus shipping.




NAHG #1 is 13X16", image size 9x12" with 2" boarders on all sides - $50 


Star Power is 9x9", image size 5x5" with 2" boarders on all sides - $30 (currently sold-out, back in stock soon.)

Afro Psyche #1 is 10 x 13", image size is 6x9" with 2" boarders on all sides - $45 (currently sold out-order now, back in stock soon)



Red Psyche is also 10 x 13", image size is 6x9" with 2" boarders on all sides - $45 



Fro is also available 10x10", image size is 6x6" with 2" boarders on all sides - $40

I have a limited number of prints, first come, first serve. Each one is printed on 300lbs.ph-neutral, 
oba-free, watercolor paper with archival inks. Just leave a comment and we can work out the details.

Again, stay tuned. If you know anyone you think may be interested please direct them here to my blog or have them contact me and I’ll add them to my list.

Apologies to those who have been waiting for updates. Now that I'm in my new studio I hope to keep the blog updated with new work more regularly. 

Sean

DAILY/WEEKLY PAINTING #5

Hair as a crown.

In a previous post, I wrote about my childhood afro-envy. Because hair adorns one's, head
 it can be likened to a crown. Personally, I see hair as an outward extension of one's consciousness,  
one's inner personality and not just a fashion statement, although it can be

The sixties were a perfect example. Long haired hippies made a statement about how 

they were different than their parents' generation and about their desires to be free from 
social norms and constrictions.

Similarly, in the 60's, the afro became a statement for African-Americans about being comfortable with themselves, defining their own values and replacing the conk

Similarly, in the 60's, the afro became a statement for African-Americans about being comfortable with themselves, defining their own values and replacing the conk

and other previous straightened hair styles with their natural hair texture. Even James Brown stopped straightening his hair and proclaimed - "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.

And of course there were the the Black Panthers.  

Finally, this week's piece was inspired by these two women:

Angela Davis

& Kathleen Cleaver

Afro Psyche #1 is 6x9" (slightly larger than my usual 6x6" pieces) mixed media on 1/2" plywood.

Again, I'll be sending out updates every week, hopefully on Friday but if not before the weekend is over. If you know of anyone interested please send them this way. 

Lastly, Selina and I had a blast last week at The NAIBA Conference where we accepted the Carla Cohen Free Speech Award for The Case for Loving. Here's a very blurry photo of us giving our acceptance speech.

Best,

Sean

DAILY PAINTING #2

As a kid,

Growing an afro was one of my greatest ambitions and frustrations. All of my attempts resulted in a lumpy, uneven, grease packed mess! Still, ads for afro-sheen and other black hair products gave me hope. In the end, they never seemed to deliver what they promised - my hair was left unchanged, sometimes worse off. Eventually, I gave up.

To this day, afros still fascinate me and leave me longing. People who sport them seem to have a sense of pride and personal power. For me, the memory of these ads (and their promise of a better life) still reverberate from my childhood. Years after the fact, I find myself inspired by the optimism and mystique of the graphics used to promote them.

This painting, FRO #1, is 6x6”, acrylic paint, pencil and collage on 1/8” hardboard.








Again, stay tuned if you want to continue receiving updates. If you know anyone you think may be interested please share this with them or have them contact me here and I’ll add them to my list.
If you missed my first daily painting you can check it out herehttp://seanqualls.blogspot.com/2015/09/daily-painting-1.html

Best,

Sean