There are a few recurring themes in my artwork: honoring my ancestors, honoring creation, and honoring woman. All of these themes stem from my spiritual search for connection with the divine, creator, creation, the universe. The beauty and mystery of nature inspire me. Defining my spirituality outside the limitations of patriarchal religious ideology is also a goal.
The legacy of African-Americans is very rich. Though severed from our African roots and culture, we remain connected to the strength, wisdom, spirit and perseverance of our people by the blood that runs through our veins. The “Ancestors” paintings are a colorful homage to those that have gone before and helped to pave the way for future generations.
The "Creation" paintings are an abstracted interpretation of the creative process. These paintings contain one of the recurring symbols in my artwork: the spiral. It represents growth and transition as in nature’s seasons and cycles of rebirth: the phases of the moon, an embryo, the year rings on a tree, the rising and setting of the sun – the infinite cycle of creation.
The "tree" literally embodies this cyclic nature of life as it transitions through the seasons. Walking among the trees in autumn and collecting leaves is a beautiful inspiration. These leaves add color, texture, and dimension to the mixed-media "Spiral Tree" paintings.
One color that seems to bring itself to all of my paintings is a bright red/orange. This color has always stood out to me. There is something soothing, yet stimulating about it. Maple leaves in autumn wear this color. It is the color that can be seen while looking at the sun with your eyes closed. It brings to mind warmth and protection, the vibe of the womb. It is a blend of the first and second chakras. I have learned that my eyes need to see this color in order to keep me spiritually balanced, creatively and aesthetically inspired, and grounded.
My interest in the “garden myth” inspired the "Tree Goddess” paintings. The history of the interpretation of “Eve” has consciously and/or unconsciously shaped the way in which women are viewed and the way in which women view themselves. These paintings illustrate the connection between woman and earth, and attribute to woman her role in creation. The “Tree Goddess” possesses the qualities that make her a "Tree of Life." She gives birth to all that lives (mother), and takes back into her, through death, all that ever was (earth). With her roots firmly and deeply planted in the earth, she is her own “Tree of Knowledge”. She is an earth goddess -- made from, growing in, and connected to the earth. Being rooted, she can hear and heed her inner voice, which whispers secrets and inspires growth toward wholeness.
Mother of all beings… it is out of her watery depths that all life emerges, and in her caves and crevices that all potential life resides. Hers is the teaming womb of life, able endlessly to absorb and reabsorb, to create and regenerate. A perpetual source of cosmic fertility… Woman and tree alike embody this great earth mother, for both are visible manifestations of her fruitfulness. -- Roger Cook
2007
The Cycle and the Search, solo exhibition, Visiting Artists Series, African-American Cultural Center, University of Illinois at Chicago
2006
Falling Leaves, Presidents’ Gallery, Chicago State University, Chicago, IL
From There to Here, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
Spiritual and Cultural Arts Connection's Black History Month Exhibit, Reher Gallery, Moline, IL
2005
Chicago Artists Month: Hubbard Street Mural Project, Feather Building, Chicago, IL
Women of the African Diaspora, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
Paper Cuts, Acme Art Works, Chicago, IL
Soul of a Woman, South Shore Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
Hot Images for Cold Times, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL
2004
Spiritual & Cultural Arts Connection Exhibit, Reher Art Gallery, Moline, IL
The Hormone Show, Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery, Grand Marais, MN
Hubbard Street Mural Project, Hubbard/Racine, Chicago, IL
2003
Hubbard Street Mural Project, Hubbard/Racine, Chicago, IL
Around the Coyote, Acme Art Works, Chicago, IL
Making our Mark, Christopher Gallery, Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, IL
2002
Wish You Were Here, Wood Street Gallery, Chicago, IL
Black Creativitiy 2002, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL
2000
Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center Exhibition, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
Woman Made Members' Exhibition, Gourmand Gallery, Chicago, IL
1998
Potluck, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
Black Creativity 1998, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL
The Way of the Goddess, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
1997
Xposzur '97, Makaar Studios, Chicago, IL
1996
Halcyone Productions: Women's History Month Celebration, Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, IL
1995
Emerging Artists II, M. Hanks Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1994
Freedom Rag, magazine, Cover art, Fall Edition
Tree of Life, Second Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL
African-American Arts Exhibition, Norris University Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Feminine Visions: Black Women's Perspectives, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
A Celebration of Poetry, Art and Music, Serengeti Cafe, Chicago, IL
1993
Without a Vision, Triple B Productions, Backdrop design, Kewanee, IL
1992
Black Artists Expo, Los Angeles, CA
