CANVASS44: Art Inspired by President Barack Obama
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“In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
CANVASS 44 was born out of the desire to highlight art inspired by our 44th president and to raise awareness for charities with missions that are in alignment with President Obama's and First Lady Michelle's values such as education, healthcare and veterans and military families.
RENEGADE OBAMA BUST BY GREY WILLIAMSON & KILROY iII
cover of village voice: 2011
metallique renegade obama busts
RENEGADE OBAMA BUST
“… Once the president is elected, he no longer represents one party, but the totality of the American politique… at least ’til the next election process begins.
When the Republican party politicians announced that, from the time he was elected, that their prime directive for the next four years was to remove him from office… it was treason… by definition, mutiny.
The people have the right to disagree, dissent, protest… exercise their voice in a number of ways, including the vote…
… but our political officials are hired to treat the POTUS as Commander In Chief… above party affiliation. Non-adherence to this destroys the political process and makes us as citizens slaves to individual party agendas, and therefore the personal interests of its individual leaders.
Mutiny…
Treason…
Capitol Crimes?
Truth.”
The Renegade bust was designed and produced by Carbon-Fibre Media’s team of Grey Williamson and Kilroy III out of their Brooklyn studio. Two different busts were produced. The first was cast in a “metallique” finish which includes a mix of metal, resin, and a few drops of pigment. The second “DIY” bust does not include metal, as it was designed to be a “canvas” for other artists to customize as part of CANVASS 44.
When asked for about the inspiration for the design, Grey responded as follows:
“I wanted to portray the inner qualities of the man. I asked myself how does his wife see him, because she married him... how does a wife want to see her husband. I tried to stay true to that.
I selected the posture of a boxer because he is currently engaged in the fight of his life. His pose is reminiscent of the fighting style of Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather or someone like that.”
Additional pictures of the bust can be viewed in an interview with Grey Williamson
"blank" renegade
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Grey Williamson has worked as a writer, artist and designer for almost every major comic publisher in the comic industry. He formed Carbon-Fibre Media as a home for his entertainment properties and productions.
Kilroy III makes his professional debut at Carbon-Fibre Media with his work on the Apollo, Val-Mar and Renegade busts. He has multiple projects under development that can be viewed on his blog, Kilroy’s Attic.
WET PAINT BY ANDRE WOOLERY
CLOSEUP OF THUMB TACKS OF WET PAINT
WET PAINT
“Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives.”
“The Obama presidency means many different things to many different people, but it will not be capable of a complete evaluation until many decades later. Despite varying opinions the numbers will always ring true: 44th and 1st.”
Since 2008, many of us voted for then Senator Obama and have continued to support the President as he makes many difficult decisions on our behalf. And others, well, while we engage and respectfully debate the chronic nay-sayers, CANVASS 44 is not about that, but about celebrating and supporting President Obama.
The writing is not yet on the wall as for how the President has performed in his first term. But over 9,000 thumbtacks are on a canvas, thanks to Andre Woolery. Over 9,000 decisions to tell a story of inspiration and determination that is not unique to the subject, nor the artist, but representative of all of us who work hard, in short, to pursue happiness.
If we all had a cumulative record of the result of the many decisions we made each day, what would it look like? “Wet Paint” captures the warmth and humility of the most powerful man in the world. You can’t fake that.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Jamaica and raised in New Jersey, Andre Woolery creates art that is accessible and reflective of his journey. His work was recently profiled in Black Enterprise and Complex Magazine. Read his full story at www.andrewooleryart.com and follow him on twitter @undre2g.
PAINTED BY RODNEY JACKSON
OBAMA
A painting by Rodney Jackson featured in Art Basel Miami and on the cover of college lifestyle magazine, Back\Slash. One of my favorites...he captured President Obama's kindness.
The original painting has been sold but giclee prints are available.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rodney Jackson is the architect of the art movement known as DONŪ that is characterized by a fusion of classic and new school artistic approaches. His most recent work uses photos and textiles to highlight the labor class of people as they carve their place into the fabric of American culture.
PAINTED BY BUNKY ECHO HAWK
BARACK BLACK EAGLE: He Who Helps People Throughout the Land
Artist Bunky Echo-Hawk painted this piece live at the Native Nations: Uniting for Change event during the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Earlier in the year, Huffingtonpost featured this painting with about 10 other pieces describing the works as “bizarre.” Hmmm… “bizarre” or simply misunderstood? The “re-imagination” of popular figures, whether historical or fictional, is actually not that bizarre…
Take a look at the varied representations of Jesus… brunette…blonde… brown eyes… blue eyes… wooly hair… flowing locks… “swarthy”… white skin… If you ask most people what the founder of Buddhism looks like, most would describe a smiling jolly and bald Chinese man.
And no, this “bizarre” phenomenon is not limited to religious figures… Have you seen an American movie in the past few years or, oh wait, since Hollywood began producing movies, be it original or remakes? Ironically, the most recent “backlash” against the “re-imagination” of a character was aimed at a young character named “Rue” in “The Hunger Games.” (FYI. It wasn’t Rue’s characterization that was wrong, but the imagination of many of the viewers/readers…).
I can feel the eyes roll… How fitting that I reference religious figures and Hollywood when Obama has been “accused” of being a fake messiah and a “celebrity.”
What I see is positive change… a shift in deep-rooted underlying assumptions that are being challenged more frequently and by many different voices. I read an article in February about the “Linsanity” phenomenom by Yellow Peril that described Jeremy Lin as an “Asian Obama.” Robert Deniro recently came under fire for a joke about it being too soon for a “White First Lady.”
Thank you Bunky Echo-Hawk, for sharing your perspective on how our heroes can capture our collective imaginations…
Bizarre? No. Assumptions challenged. Yes.
And what exactly is “flesh-colored” anyway…?
Proceeds from the sale of Barack Black Eagle prints will be shared with Organizing for America andNVision. NVision is a movement that is “committed to the development of Native youth leadership and traditional and contemporary expressions of art, culture, education, and media from a Native core and perspective.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Bunky Echo-Hawk is a multi-talented artist whose work spans both media and lifestyle. A graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts, he is a fine artist, graphic designer, photographer, writer and a non-profit professional. He is also a traditional singer and dancer. Throughout his career, Bunky has merged traditional values with his lifestyle and art.
He has exhibited his work in major exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally in NYC, Chicago, Denver, Santa Fe, and Frankfurt, Germany, to name a few. His poetry has been published in magazines and anthologies throughout the country, and his plays have been performed and produced across the nation. Bunky is also an advocate and an educator. He travels extensively, creating live works of art for auction.
Through his art, Bunky has raised thousands of dollars for several national non-profit organizations. Additionally, he speaks at conferences, conducts workshops, and teaches both art and writing. In 2006, Bunky co-founded NVision, serving as Executive Director until 2009. NVision is a nonprofit collective of Native American artists, musicians, community organizers, and nonprofit professionals who focus on Native American youth empowerment through multimedia arts. Bunky is a 2008 First Peoples Fund Business in Leadership Fellow, a 2008 United States Artist Fellow nominee, a 2008 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellow nominee, and a 2008 Boulder County Multicultural Award recipient.
PAINTED BY ALEX KRASKY
UNITED WE STAND: A TRIBUTE TO AMERICA
“About our President, I think he will be reelected. He is a strong Guy. And if you saw all my webpages, I have a very special dream. I want to meet our President personally and hand him my Art. (It’s already signed: From Alex Krasky to Our President Barack Obama). My Mom is waiting that one day I will do it. I promised her I will. She is the only one who is still alive in my Family. I want to make her really proud of me.”
Alex has committed a portion of the sales of his paintings and art prints to the re-election of President Obama as well as to the American Cancer Society.
You can view his unique style applied to other prominent Americans at The Art of Alex Krasky. Alex and his work have been featured in numerous publications, most recently on the USA Patriotismwebsite.
What do y’all think? Can we help make Alex Krasky’s dream come true?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Alex Krasky‘s journey to America began when he left the former Russia/Ukraine in 1997. Although he expressed an interest in art at the age of 5, it wasn’t until seven countries and twelves years after his arrival in the United States that he took an oil painting class and picked up a brush for the first time. “I learned, life is not a rehearsal, we go forward every day, regardless. I learned to savor the moment and take pleasure in small things in life. After all, life is made up of thousands of “small moments”.
thinking forward by tru soul
THINKING FORWARD
“This piece is meant to showcase the mental toughness and strain that President Obama faces every day. For killing Osama Bin Laden, to Bailing out GM and adverting a depression; to providing quality health care for all, ending DADT and equal pay for women. The President has been under the most pressure, and dealt the worst hand and still maintains his cool and connection to the american people. Republicans have called into question his qualification to lead based on the color of his skin and the name he is known by.
Thinking Forward is a piece that says despite the hardships we have faced in the past and are presently dealing with, the future is still bright and we must move forward. It showcases the seriousness at which the President has for those in his administration to the hard-working middle class and poor.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Derrick Trotman’s Tru Soul movement is about authentic art that raises awareness and promotes originality. He is an illustrator, designer, poet and thinker who enjoys working in multiple mediums including pencils, prisma marker, deco paint, charcoal, bamboo wood ink, water-color and digital painting. His primary influences have been his mother, Stan Lee, Cezanne, Matisse, Jim Lee, The Itialian Renissance, Debroah Haverty, Justin Bua, African art and fractals. Learn more about Mr. Trotman by visiting www.trusoul.org.
OBAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT
“This is free for all to download, print, & disseminate. Go forth & spread the gospel. Put it on every street corner & lamp-post, every bulletin board & kiosk, every juke-joint & house of ill-repute, every cafe, campus & construction site, every church, synagogue, mosque, & Bahá’í Center, every library & schoolyard, every domino table & methadone clinic, every nook & cranny you can find…or… just stick it in your office.
Remember there’s no knockout in this bout, it goes the full 12 rounds. The judges’ decision is final on 6 November, so get out & vote, my friends.”
Mr. Seda-Schreiber tells us that is not a professional artist, but simply an art teacher with a drawing table at which he sometimes sit & create little doodles, surrounded by far too many toys for a man of his age. Should you so desire, you can see more of his artistic shenanigans atsweetestbaboon.blogspot.com.
When I asked for his twitter handle, this was Mr. Seda-Schreiber’s response:
“I’m not on Twitter or Facebook… I actually don’t even text, if you can believe it. I’m so old school, I make Chuck D look like Meek Mill.”
BABY GOT HOPE
LOL. I was granted permission to quote him on this. Mr. Seda-Schreiber’s “Baby Got Hope” poster was featured in the book, “Design for Obama” during the 2008 campaign season.
He’s in it for the long haul. Respect.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Robt Seda-Schreiber is “an artist, a lover, a father, a teacher, a hustler of culture, an oh-so-tiny & not-so-private dancer, an imaginary boxer, a practicing solipsist, & a self-indulgent, egotistical, totally insecure, anxious & angst-ious little man.” A friend left a beautiful quote about the artist and the art: “Seda-Schreiber lets you into his mind, and it turns out to be a worthwhile place to rummage around… (His work) is like receiving a long letter from a friend you didn’t know you had.” (Cat Yronwode). Sounds like my kinda artist. See more of his works at sweetestbaboon.blogspot.com.
O'BAMABOTS
‘Tis the season… time for all the pundits to weigh in on the presidential election so let the name-calling begin… O’bamabots… O'bots… Mindless followers or politicians devoid of human sentiment… Ouch… Or maybe, simply, just enthusiastic investors in the political process… Our O'BAMABOT was our attempt at injecting some civility into the political conversation. Equal opportunity cuteness is our policy. If you like our O'BAMABOTS, please visit our POLITICO'BOT gallery featuring prominent world politicians.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Onjena Yo makes her professional artistic debut at Carbon-Fibre Media with her line of toy robots called “O’BOTS” and a line of t-shirts for multinationalPATRIOTs. She is also an amateur scrapbooker.
