Biography

My Approach to learning is one of multi-discplinary choice which emphasizes Visual, Literary, and Design components.

To immerse myself in the Visual Arts I sought out the finest learning institutions: Art Center College of Design, and California College of Arts & Crafts. However, first hand experiences living in the San Francisco Bay Area and participating in the studio sessions of musicians, dancers, actors and writers during the 70’s could never be duplicated in a classroom.

San Francisco was also the home to my fashion boutique where I designed for both men and women, importing cloth from various countries to find the right mix of natural materials and hand-woven fabrics. Hence my longtime interest in textiles and African American quilting. 

By 1976 I had moved to Florida and begun working with community based organizations in program planning, grant writing, and logo/brochure design. Projects with private and county agencies resulted in funding by Florida Humanities Council and positive follow-up evaluations. I also coordinated two statewide cultural conferences, including PR and post-conference documents.

An ongoing project which combines images and words is, "Florida Burial Shrine Project," involving a survey of the decorative motifs of Florida's African American burial art and its African origins and diffusion. This fascinating work which is currently being rewritten, a  book-in-progress, is for lack of funding slowly coming together.

Fine Art Photography is my primary focus within the spectrum of the visual arts, but since the mid-80's I have developed large-scale, photo-based, multi-media installations which allow the viewer to become more integrated in the artwork, physically and conceptually.

After working independently with self-designed university programs, and attaining both BFA and MFA in visual art, I have refocused my work on its Africentric spiritual content. My work has also moved beyond the white cubic gallery space back into the natural environment where I have chosen to work with lowly but sacred materials of the earth such as: rocks, leaves, branches, bones, feathers, and water. These things are not new to my work but they represent a return to my beginnings as an artist. In addition, my move beyond the cubic gallery space allows me to more fully elaborate and integrate my body of work by using hypertext media.

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