Looking Upward

I wasn't sure how I wanted to celebrate Black History Month this year, but I knew I wanted to do something uplifting, and because I'm an artist I wanted to do an ode to artists! I am striving to complete three paintings, however my brain thinks I'm faster than I actually am so I may only get to two, but we press on! (Ba dum tssss :)

I chose this particular piece because I am born and raised in New York City, and my actual first apartment out on my own was on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Harlem NYC, so this piece immediately spoke to me. I can feel this painting, he's holding his old dwellings amongst these huge and almost tumbling buildings. It almost feels overwhelming, but he's also a part of the shadows the buildings leave on the streets. As someone striving to make art more accessible I relate to James Wells who once said, "Art is a universal language that transcends race, class, or creed" He dedicated his life to art education and working to ensure Black artists had the same opportunities to express themselves. Looking Upward is a celebration of Black potential and a reminder that work needs to still be done for a more equitable society which still rings true today. According to artera.com The large buildings of the piece can symbolize the inequity, while the buildings our figure carries symbolize the weight and promise of progress.

The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of Black art and literature, (I KNOW you know Harlem by Langston Hughes!) It was centered in Harlem, New York which is still one of my favorite places today. The Harlem Renaissance was a side effect of The Great Migration, the movement of more than five million free Black Americans from the Jim Crow South, to the North, Midwest, and West for greater opportunities, especially in the wake of WWI.

One very interesting thing I've found when recreating paintings is that I can get in the mind of the artist and I can clearly see the nuances they were trying to portray and it makes me feel so inspired and so close to the art and artist. James Lesesne Wells created this piece using inspiration in the styles of African sculpture and German expressionist art which revived the medium of woodcut printing.

I loved making this set and I am so happy with how it came out! I know I am a talented artist, but to be truthful with you, many paintings I set out to recreate I have no idea if I can. Because this painting wasn't wide enough to fit across both hands I created the first hand, and THEN had the idea to put the bottom half of him on the other hand. When I finish a piece and it looks just like what I was trying to recreate, it simultaneously humbles me and excites me. I will literally look at my hands like, "I made that?" If you're an artist, please just TRY. When I started on my nail journey, I had no idea it would lead me to doing art nails this elaborate, or wanting to open an art gallery. It's so weird to have this dream and be the only person in my life to see it clearly, but I'm here to tell you that your art matters, and you CAN do it. It might take practice, and time, and everyone seeing your work as non valuable, but you WILL get where you want to go. Keep creating your work, and more importantly SHARE it.

Now let me get off of my soap box and show you my nails! As always, they're available in my shop and thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. Mush Love, Renee <3