Currently available books by Aberjhani that feature cover art (some also have photography) by him include: These Black and Blue Red Zone Days; Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah, Greeting Flannery O'Connor at the Back Door of My Mind; and, the eBook edition of Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player. His work is also featured on the cover of the 2022 Flannery O'Connor Review along with a full section of art and poetry by him in the publication.
Displaying: 1 - 48 of 48
August 13th, 2023
More and more visual artists are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to create certain works. What many might not realize is how the use of AI to produce artwork can compromise their claim to copyright ownership of an image. 3 points worth considering:
https://www.author-poet-aberjhani.info/ai-literary-chat/ethical-issues-and-copyright-ownership-in-ai-generated-visual-art
March 5th, 2022
The quote that follows from author Aleksandr Solzenitsyn says something about why art and artists matter a lot more in the world than many people think. It is shared at the beginning of an article written to demonstrate support for Ukrainian and all artists caught up in violent conflicts around the world:
“Art inflames even a frozen, darkened soul to a high spiritual experience. Through art we are sometimes visited – dimly, briefly – by revelations such as cannot be produced by rational thinking.” ––Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1970 Nobel Lecture in Literature)
Read full article at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ukraine-russia-art-being-human-author-poet-aberjhani
November 22nd, 2021
Every now and then we make the mistake of taking seemingly small and insignificant things for granted. Then something more incredible than we ever imagined comes along to remind us of the big difference the smallest things can sometimes make. And by that I mean this: https://fineartamerica.com/pressreleases/giving-thanks-for-small-things-theme-of-faa-artists-new-series.html
October 7th, 2021
A lot do debates taking place over the reality or non-reality of the climate crisis. Some of us have been forced to confront it head-on. In my case I'm doing that with art currently on exhibit at the Savannah/Hilton Head Airport Art Gallery (USA) and with an essay still in progress. For more on the airport show please check out the news page here on FAA at:
https://fineartamerica.com/pressreleases/saa-and-faa-artist-tackles-climate-change-in-new-airport-art-exhibit.html
August 23rd, 2021
Hello FAA Friends. I’ve been away longer than preferred while dealing with in-person art events. For 1, I’m currently assisting a museum with an exhibition expansion project. Who knew it would turn out to be so labor-intensive. For 2, please check out the news release link below posted here at FAA about my work in an exhibit at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Wish everyone the very best. Please stay safe,
https://fineartamerica.com/pressreleases/faa-silk-featherbrush-artist-makes-offline-debut-in-savannah-hilton-head-international-airport-exhibit.html
September 3rd, 2020
I wasn’t planning on creating any visual art connected to the book “Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind” while writing it. I guess it’s something of an indication of O’Connor’s own intense creative vision that as I wrote my reflections on the impact of her cultural legacy, additional forms of creative expression began to take shape. These are a few of them currently on FAA:
1) Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind (url: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/greeting-flannery-oconnor-at-the-back-door-of-my-mind-aberjhani.html )
2) Converging Grace Number 1 with Text (url: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/converging-grace-number-1-with-text-aberjhani.html )
3) Converging Grace Number 2 without Text (url: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/converging-grace-number-2-without-text-aberjhani.html )
4) Glorious Morning in the Garden of Justice and Mercy (url: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/glorious-morning-in-the-garden-of-justice-and-mercy-aberjhani.html )
Aberjhani
April 7th, 2020
What’s an artist to do in a pandemic time such as the one we’re currently living through? Hopefully we inspire, empower, and help the world the world heal from the horror. That at least is my goal with the new series collection on Fine Art America at this url:
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/posteredchromatic-poetics?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=909030
February 22nd, 2019
On July 27, 2002, journalists and everyday people from virtually every region of the United States and from around the world made their way to Savannah, Georgia, where they joined local inhabitants to witness the dedication of the African-American Family Monument on River Street. The event was the culmination of a decade-long battle waged by Dr. Abigail Jordan to make certain that in a city renowned for its historic parks and monuments, at least one would stand in recognition of the contributions of African Americans to city.
Since that day, Dr. Jordan has become one of Savannah’s most celebrated figures. Just before the monument's dedication, she had been named Woman of the Year by the Beaufort Gullah Festival in Beaufort, South Carolina. November 12, 2005, the African American Business Magazine presented her with the Fannie Lou Hamer Award and named her one of 100 Black Women of Influence. She died on January 9, 2019. In celebration of her life and legacy, new artwork was posted at:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/historic-triumph-of-dr-abigail-jordan-aberjhani.html
Aberjhani
author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
and The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois
December 20th, 2018
I've always felt a fresh perspective capable of generating effective new insights, and therefore approaches, to lingering problems is one of the most valuable contributions any artist can make to society. Yet it seems marketplace outlets often penalize artists for their originality by limiting access to their works in favor of those who follow more conventional formats. Is there a solution to such a strange paradox?
I admit a recently-posted work of my own with the word "Original" in its title is part of the reason I'm contemplating the question at this time. But it is one I've known many artists to grapple with throughout their careers. Very few have been able to "break through" and gain the kind of equal marketplace footing they felt their work deserved.
Aberjhani
December 19th, 2018
Without being aware that the great jazz and blues singer Nancy Wilson was battling serious illness at the time, on December 5, 2018, I posted an art portrait in tribute to her. Yesterday, I was informed that she passed on December 13. Prior to Ms. Wilson’s passing, I shared the story of what her music had come to mean to me in the description for the artwork titled "These Colors I Hear When Nancy Wilson Sings Turned to Blue." I invite you to visit the page here on Fine Art America:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/these-colors-i-hear-when-nancy-wilson-sings-turned-to-blue-aberjhani.html
Aberjhani
October 23rd, 2018
Originality is one of the most valuable features of Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork and that feature is on full display with the new Redbird Series print, "Redbird and the Astonishing Epiphany." This landscape-formatted digital painting places the popular Redbird inside a realm of swirling bright colors framed by surrounding horizontal lines of blue, gold, and rust. In addition to making the perfect selection for a wall space in the home or workplace, it is an exceptional design for items ranging from tote bags and t-shirts to blankets and iPhone cases.
To view the work please click this link or the one at the bottom of the page: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/redbird-and-the-astonishing-epiphany-aberjhani.html
To save 30 percent off the mark-up on this and other Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork from now until December 31, 2018, please use promo code HSPRXZ when checking out.
FROM THE ART PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
In each of the previous installments, such as "Redbird Sifting Beauty Out of Ashes" and "Redbird Speaking Compassion to Power," the North American Cardinal bird is posed to share gentle commentaries on the human condition. In this one, Redbird comes to the conclusion that life's painful confusions or humorous simplicity possibly have more to do with how an individual views a given situation than the external factors themselves. That epiphany for our feathered hero is astonishing but also liberating.
The blue, yellow, gold, and indigo landscape surrounding the centerpiece symbolizes the tranquility which can come with awareness expanded beyond immediate anxieties.
Aberjhani
October 23rd, 2018
The portrait-formatted "Alley-Wall Paradise" is a rich chromatic photography example of nature's resiliency as exemplified by colorful vines growing in a distinctly urban location: an alley. It is not a place where most would expect to discover beauty. That beauty in this instance was already complemented by the background of the turquoise wall and pipe it grew against. It was further enhanced by the artwork's surrounding sapphire blue portrait of additional vines and Postered Chromatic Poetics' signature digital processing. You can check out this art design at this link: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/alley-wall-paradise-aberjhani.html
To save 30 percent off the mark-up on this and other Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork from now until December 31, 2018, please use promo code HSPRXZ when checking out.
DESCRIPTION FROM ART PRODUCT PAGE:
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." --Albert Camus (1913-1960)
"Alley-Wall Paradise" is the second official installment of the "Grow Where Life Puts You" art series gallery. In keeping with the series theme, I borrowed the above quote from author Albert Camus because it so perfectly fit what I felt when I saw an alley wall covered with clinging vines. The leaves were just beginning to change from green to the autumnal colors of red, yellow, orange, and brown. Some of the vines, like the one seen here, had tiny dark berries on them.
October 12th, 2018
"Bouquet of Gratitude and Forgiveness" is a particularly good art choice for the autumn season and moving toward the end of the year because the theme accommodates diverse cultural celebrations observed during this period. However, the flowing cascade of flowers emerging out of a multi-layered background make it as strong an addition to hotels, restaurants, or offices as it does to family rooms or community centers any time of the year.
This work was originally created as part of an in-progress stage play and consequently is highly collectible. Until December 31, 2018, It may be purchased at 30 percent off using promo code HSPRXZ. Please view it at this link: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/bouquet-of-gratitude-and-forgiveness-aberjhani.html
FROM THE ART PRODUCT PAGE:
A television interviewer once asked singer-actress-dancer Jennifer Lopez how she dealt with negative tabloid stories about her personal life. Lopez surprised a lot of people by answering, "I always bring it back to gratitude." By making gratitude the foundation of her attitude towards nearly everything, she avoided the kind of distractions which could disrupt or completely block the flow of creativity on which a performance artist like herself depended very heavily.
Lopez's response made a lot of sense to me because dealing with certain issues had already led me to the same conclusion. My equation also included striving to forgive those who cause us grief. Hence, the title of the piece seen here: Bouquet of Gratitude and Forgiveness. To my mind, the two combined are what make any notions of love realistic and sustainable.
Aberjhani
October 12th, 2018
The signature production process which gives each Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork its individual appeal makes an exceptionally good fit for the landscape-formatted "Forsyth Park Tritons in a Cascade of Gold." Buyers who have already purchased either "Champagne Twilight: Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia (USA)" or "Sepia Afternoon: Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia (USA)" might consider acquiring this as a companion piece which focuses on the fountain's famous Triton sculptures.
The splashing gold hues and luminous digital matting and frame of this artwork make it an elegant addition to any home. It also makes it a very impressive one to work environments. Please view it by clicking or pasting this link: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/forsyth-park-tritons-in-a-cascade-of-gold-aberjhani.html
Until December 31, 2018, It may be purchased at 30 percent off using promo code HSPRXZ.
FROM THE ART PRODUCT PAGE:
I tend to refer to the half-men half-fish beings who inhabit the Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia, as mermen. That is not an error, but students of mythology might prefer to call them Tritons. In Greek mythology, they are described as the demigod sons of the sea god Poseidon and Amphitrite, his beloved. Like the Tritons of Greek myth, the ones which inhabit the Forsyth Park Fountain carry twisted seashells through which they blow streams of water (the ones from mythology used their shell-horns to manipulate the flow of waves).
According the Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog, Janes, Beebe & Company modeled the Forsyth Park Fountain (with some changes) "after a cast iron fountain designed by the J. P. Victor Andre Iron Foundry for display at the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, which in turn was modeled after a fountain on the Place-de-la-Concorde in Paris, France."
Aberjhani
October 3rd, 2018
A landscape-formatted print, "Redbird Singing Songs of Love in the Tree of Hope" is suitable for different sizes and styles of wall art. The theme makes it ideal for the home or workplace. The comprehensive color palette also makes it an attractive fit for a variety of product designs, including iPhone cases, battery chargers, tote-bags, coffee mugs, shower curtains, and other items. In addition, the visual narrative is also ideal for those who like art which celebrates a socially-empowering statement. (Please view image by clicking the link at bottom of the page or copying and pasting this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/redbird-singing-songs-of-love-in-the-tree-of-hope-aberjhani.html )
Shoppers may use Promo Code HSPRXZ up until Dec 31, 2018 to save 30 percent off this artwork and associated products .
FROM ART PRODUCT PAGE:
"Redbird Singing Songs of Love in the Tree of Hope" is a contemporary collage that fuses original photography, urban landscape, and digital painting to underscore the theme of Beauty standing its ground during times of collective trauma. This is the fifth official image featured in the Redbird Series posted on Fine Art America and Pixels...
So why is Redbird suddenly singing "Songs of Love in the Tree of Hope?" Think of how different manifestations of love function in difficult times associated with overwhelming public or personal crises. It creates a kind of psychic refuge like the one symbolized here, where it becomes easier to believe in the joys of real life as well as the beauty of dreams despite the crushing presence of dread. In such a tangible organic refuge, extraordinary things like healing, reconciliation, and personal growth can occur. Or at least that is what Redbird chooses to believe and sing.
Aberjhani
October 2nd, 2018
The aesthetic scope and physical dimensions of "That Time We Woke Up Laughing in Claude Monet's Garden" were designed to reflect Monet's desire to make a viewer feel as if she or he could enter a painting the way one would enter a yard or forest. It can therefore add that kind of enchanted quality to a room as a wall decoration, shower curtain, or bed covering. The extended size of the artwork combined with its polychromatic palette make it possible to customize the image for a variety of products and tastes.
To view the art, currently available at 30 percent off using discount code HSPRXZ (until Dec 31, 2018) please click the link at the bottom of the page or paste this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/that-time-we-woke-up-laughing-in-claude-monets-garden-aberjhani.html
FROM THE ART PRODUCT PAGE:
"That Time We Woke Up Laughing in Claude Monet's Garden" might be described as a modest heart-felt salute to the artist's much-celebrated flower and water gardens in Giverny, France. The creation of Monet's phenomenal expansive gardens took up a substantial part of his later years and today more than half a million tourists and aspiring artists visit it annually. Some have said that walking through the gardens is like walking through a rainbow. Artists often express a sense of awe and reverence when visiting Giverny because of the apparent sustained vision and labor it took to create such a wonder.
Aberjhani
October 2nd, 2018
"Growing Where Life Puts Us" employs Postered Chromatic Poetics' signature processing to fuse original digital color photography with black and white photography to compose a singular visual statement on one of the great themes of 21st century history: displacement and adaptation. The inlaid black and white of hanging vines both extend the narrative of the color photograph and refine its context. This art photography functions well as a beautiful addition to a home or office space. It makes an effective attention-holder for classes devoted to studies of the environment and global warming. To see the print please click the link at the bottom of the page or paste this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/growing-where-life-puts-us-aberjhani.html
The work may be purchased at 30 percent off from now until December 31, 2018, using Promo Code HSPRXZ.
FROM THE ART PRODUCT PAGE:
This composite photograph, "Growing Where Life Puts Us," is the first official entry in a series of images celebrating life's capacity for sustaining and perpetuating itself under less-than-ideal conditions. The center image shows the beginning of a shrub growing between the edge of a yard and a sidewalk separated by a thick heavy wooden beam. The different earth tones with the splash of sunlight and green of the plant itself makes a kind of natural art all its own. The color photograph sits inside a black and digital print of leafy vines growing over the edge of an abandoned building.
The theme for this new series came from one of my favorite novels, "The Famished Road" by Nigerian author Ben Okri. In the novel, a father directs his son's attention to a wooden pole which someone stuck in the ground and which for some unknown reason has begun to blossom. The father tells his son, "This is what you must be like. Grow wherever life puts you down." During my treks through southern urban centers in America, I noticed how efficiently certain plants demonstrated this advice by adapting to whatever cracks or surfaces were available to them in order to put down roots and grow where they were.
Aberjhani
September 17th, 2018
The Renaming the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge online art gallery currently consists of five works of art located here: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/posteredchromatic-poetics.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=812347
They are:
1) Bridges and Walls
2) Renaming the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge
3) Of Time And The Savannah River Bridge
4) Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge And The Serious Politics Of Necessary Change No. 1
5) Savannah River Bridge The Morning After Hurricane Matthew No. 2
These canvases combine exclusive Postered Chromatic Poetics processing with contemporary social justice themes to create compelling visual statements in a variety of attractive styles. To read the engaging stories behind each, just click on the gallery images and visit the product’s page.
September 15th, 2018
"Garden of Grace and Resilience" breaks new ground in regard to the stylistic methodology employed by Postered Chromatic Poetics. Instead of spelling out the precise nature of the innovation utilized in this canvas, we will let viewers have a little fun by identifying it for themselves by comparing the work to previous art (you can see it here: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/garden-of-grace-and-resilience-aberjhani.html )
What stayed the same is the customized digital processing that gives all Chromatic Poetics creations museum-quality shades and hues.
FROM THE PRODUCT PAGE:
"Where the garden of grace blossomed,
star-scented moonlight made me drunk.
Where the oceans of heaven sighed peace,
I flowed into a midnight wave of echoes."
Aberjhani, from Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black
"Garden of Grace and Resilience" is the first canvas in a new art series that celebrates the different ways life sustains and perpetuates itself. I am dedicating it to those currently confronting the fury of Hurricane Florence with hope that grace and resilience will see them through.
I will share more about what inspired the new series in forthcoming blogs but for now will say this image began as photographic research of an area near a set of railroad tracks and frequented by homeless individuals. On one side of the tracks was a space used for dumping trash and on the other was growing thick patches of colorful vines.
The robust growth of the beautiful vines in an unexpected place reminded me of certain homeless individuals I had encountered who made it clear they had no use for pity. They were dealing with their lives to the best of their ability and some were on their way to obtaining permanent dwellings. In the vines and in the people I saw a kind of beautiful resilience, some of which I hoped to capture with this artwork.
Aberjhani
September 5th, 2018
Bold primary colors set in contrast with shaded panels of white, beige, and mixed pastels make "Painted Shadows of a Different Love and Time" a striking work of wall art suitable for customized adaptation to Fine Art America's wide range of products. The silver butterfly near the center of his landscape-formatted piece further enhances the strong color scheme, as does the aquamarine frame combined with custom-designed digital matting, framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics processing. (Artwork may be viewed by clicking link at bottom of page or copying and pasting this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/painted-shadows-of-a-different-love-and-time-aberjhani.html )
POEM FROM ART PRODUCT PAGE:
The Silver Butterfly and a Ghost of a Chance
Between and around these painted shadows
of a different love and time,
a silver butterfly slowly glides
through corridors of a drifting mind.
A broken promise burns brazenly red.
Our ghost of a chance sits humming songs blue.
Green recalls too often taking its pride too seriously,
while everything gold still adores-- everything about you.
Aberjhani
©Sept 2018
September 5th, 2018
Format-wise, "Golden Ship of Stars and Dreams" duplicates the dimensions of landscape artworks. However, as indicated by the title, Its theme and palette extend beyond those (please see product page description below). It makes an impressive dramatic addition to a room as wall art, a shower curtain, or bed cover. It is also very attractive in smaller-sized products such as throw pillows, tote bags, and coffee cups (to see art please click link at bottom of page of paste this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/golden-ship-of-stars-and-dreams-aberjhani.html )
Because of its one-of-a-kind design pattern, the signature Postered Chromatic Poetics finishing process with customized digital matting and framing works extremely well with Golden Ship of Stars and Dreams. This artwork may be purchased throughout the month of September at 25 percent off using Promo Code EFGHAS.
FROM PRODUCT PAGE ART DESCRIPTION
“...If emergent expressionism lends chromatic form and substance to in-between states of metamorphosis, then transformative impressionism may be described as endowing such stages of transition with metaphorical narrative.” (from Sensualized Transcendence: Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts)
The thing about the color palette and completed composition for the central image seen here is that it started out some years ago as light shades of gray and white which I thought was shaping up into an abstract seascape. I would go back to it periodically to guide the eventual emergence of the expressionistic seascape and add certain colors here or trim parts of it somewhere else.
Then one day I got caught up in a rush of inspiration until the original canvas was completely gone. There before me in its place was what, to my mind, looked like a ship of gold surrounded by several gleaming figures. The giant face of one looming beside the ship stood out more than the others and almost prompted me to name this Golden Dreamer of Love and Mercy. The prominence of a golden ship's bow reaching out of the center made me opt for a new choice.
Aberjhani
©Sept 2018
September 5th, 2018
"Redbird Speaking Compassion to Power" is a landscape-formatted print suitable for different sizes of wall art and particularly attractive on iPhone cases, battery chargers, tote-bags, coffee cups, and other items aesthetically compatible with the landscape design. Moreover, the narrative theme is also ideal for those who like art that makes a socially-empowering statement. (Please view image by clicking the link at bottom of the page or copying and pasting this one: https://pixels.com/featured/redbird-speaking-compassion-to-power-aberjhani.html )
Shoppers are encouraged to use Promo Code EFGHAS throughout the month of September for a 25 percent discount.
FROM THE ARTWORK PAGE DESCRIPTION
The "Redbird Speaking Compassion to Power" collage was originally intended to serve as a companion-piece to an essay titled "Speaking Compassion to Power." However, the artwork continued to develop in ways I had not anticipated after the essay was completed and eventually published on the Charter for Compassion website without it. No problem. It still retains its title as the fourth image in the Redbird Series posted at Fine Art America and on Pixels.com.
Thematically, the print is about standing one's ethical ground in the face of injustice. Stylistically and technically, it is a surrealistic composite of urban architecture, photography, digital painting, sculpture, and found objects.
The above having been said, my approach to this piece was closer to an evolving process. During the process, I experiment with installation configurations before settling on one or two primary cohesive images. These are then further processed before deriving at a final print. This work has in common with its immediate predecessor, "Redbird in the Valley of Beautiful Possibilities," the swirling multi-chromatic in-laid frame inspired by designs on antique vases. And, of course, Redbird himself.
Aberjhani
Sept 2018
August 29th, 2018
"Redbird in the Valley of Beautiful Possibilities" is the third work of art created specifically as part of the Redbird Series. It is different from its two predecessors both in its square-shaped design and its compositional style with Redbird perched on a U-shaped vine against a background of blazing yellow framed by swirls of almost incandescent colors. (Please view image by clicking link at bottom of page or copying and pasting this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/redbird-in-the-valley-of-beautiful-possibilities-aberjhani.html).
The work as a whole is a collage of elements framed by custom-designed digital matting, framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics processing. Shoppers are invited to use Promo Code EFGHAS throughout the month of September for a discount of 25 percent.
FROM THE POSTED DESCRIPTION
This is technically the third work of art to be included in my Redbird Series but the fourth included in the Redbird Gallery here at Fine Art America . A recent visitor to the gallery shared some comments offline about her interpretations of the meaning of red cardinals in my life. I found her remarks very interesting because they reminded me of passages from one of my most recently-completed manuscripts in which I discuss how different birds have functioned as symbols in my literary work. Probably the best known is identified in the title of the poetry collection: Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black.
What I find particularly interesting about the red cardinal is that it actually has not been incorporated into my writings. The preferred mode of creative expression, where it is concerned, seems to be visual art.
While finishing "Redbird in the Valley of Beautiful Possibilities," I recalled a former co-worker telling me the red cardinal was kind of like a shooting or falling star. "When you see a red bird," she explained, "you should blow it a kiss for good luck." I don't know how many people have discovered that to be either true or false but the artist in me considers the idea very poetic.
Aberjhani
August 2018
August 29th, 2018
"Taking a Walk through American History" is a landscape-formatted photograph suitable for hanging in a variety of locations, including offices, homes, museums, and classrooms. The landscape format also makes it an ideal design for such smaller items as coffee cups and tote bags. (Please view image by clicking link at the bottom of the page or pasting this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/taking-a-walk-through-american-history-aberjhani.html )
Developed using the Postered Chromatic Poetics finishing process, the image features custom-designed digital matting and framing. Shoppers are invited to use Promo Code EFGHAS throughout the month of September for a 25 percent discount.
FROM THE ARTWORK PAGE DESCRIPTION
The trick to taking this shot was getting as much of both the pedestrians-walking sign and the Confederate Monument in the distance into the photograph as possible. It was difficult because the monument, in Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, was to the west and the sign was facing traffic going north on Drayton Street. A ladder might have come in handy but I didn't have one.
The street sign combined with the aging distant monument aligned beside it struck me as a powerful symbol of the division some American communities are experiencing over how to handle controversy involving Confederate symbols, often associated with advocacy for white supremacy, in public spaces. Some city administrators have dealt with the issue by placing the statues and similar representations in museums, which preserves the items and the history they represent. Other administrators have hidden them completely. Some citizens (like certain folks recently in North Carolina) have torn them down and tried to destroy them.
The monument seen here stands where Civil War camps were once located, so the historian in me would like to see it modified to tell a larger story rather than completely demolished. In an article titled "Re-Envisioning the Confederate Monument as a Portrait of Diversity," I suggested Savannahians consider adding several diverse figures to the structure. It could then be re-designated as a historical marker illustrating the different stakes and values for which people were fighting during the American Civil War. The primary theme would be a unified America rather than a self-destructing confederacy. Visitors would see in it, hopefully, a more comprehensive narrative on American history as opposed to one biased version of it.
Aberjhani
August 22nd, 2018
Please use Discount Code GMKJUD for 15% OFF all Official Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork, good until end of October 2018.
"Light at the End of the Tunnel: Tribute to Aretha Franklin" is a is a mixed media horizontal landscape-formatted work of art consisting of nature photography, urban scenery, layered oil with applied texture, custom-designed matting, specialized framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics digital processing.To view the work, please click the link at the bottom of this post or copy and paste this one: https://pixels.com/featured/light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-tribute-to-aretha-franklin-aberjhani.html
FROM ART-PAGE DESCRIPTION
The great Aretha Franklin had been very much on my mind ever since first learning almost a decade ago (in 2010) that she was battling pancreatic cancer, said to kill about 44,300 people every year. This art print dedicated to Franklin had been in the works for some weeks and developed as a tribute to her while listening for hours to her jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel, pop, and soul music spanning decades. The more I listened to her music and simultaneously worked on the art, the more I saw it as a representation of her life's journey and the many lives she touched while undertaking it.
I have my own interpretations of how the different-colored angled lines stretching into the distance, the flowering grass on the left side of the print, and the triangle of light on the right represent various aspects of Franklin's life and her role in world history. However, I will leave it to viewers to provide their own interpretations to how these might apply not only to Aretha's Franklin's life but possibly to their own.
Aberjhani
21 August 2018
August 21st, 2018
Please use Discount Code GMKJUD for 15% OFF all Official Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork, good until end of October 2018.
"Climate Change Is Not Fake News TEXT EDITION" is mixed media horizontal landscape-formatted artwork consisting of text, urbanscape photography, layered oil, digital painting, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics digital processing. This print is the first of a pair examining public narratives pertaining to how reports on climate change are perceived and interpreted.
The design, featuring a floating multi-colored rectangle with over-sized fire-colored text reading "Climate Change Is Not Fake News," make it ideal for use in school classrooms, or as a conversation-starter in more private settings. It is also especially appropriate for those who like to wear t-shirts or carry bags that make strong statements about important contemporary issues.
The colors at the center of the image reflect those which have dominated 2018 reports on global warming, and the colors radiating out from it symbolize hopefulness for the future (to view image please click the link at the bottom of this page or copy and paste this one https://fineartamerica.com/featured/climate-change-is-not-fake-news-text-edition-aberjhani.html ).
FROM PAGE DESCRIPTION:
Debates get underway every day about the severity of climate change, or global warming, in the modern era and hopefully some will find this work useful. Is climate change real or is it just fake news which media uses to stir up drama and boost ratings? Some claim we are experiencing a period of increased planetary warming as part of a natural pattern of changes in the Earth's atmosphere. Others say we are experiencing the direct impact of human disregard for the environment. This, they say, has brought us close to a "tipping point" likely to have increasingly catastrophic results. The divisions are so clear-cut that one U.S. presidential administration (Barack Obama's) readily signed up for the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming. But the next administration (Donald Trump's) just as quickly nullified U.S. participation in the program set to begin in 2020.
No matter which side of the debates you stand on, video footage of huge shelves of ice breaking off from the Antarctic, raging fires devouring communities in California (56 currently nationwide), heatwaves causing Europeans to faint in the streets, and horrific floods in India and elsewhere are unsettling. Therefore, they are forcing more and more dialogues on the subject.
Aberjhani
21 August 2018
August 21st, 2018
Please use Discount Code GMKJUD for 15% OFF all Official Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork end of October 2018.
"Climate Change Is Not Fake News FIRST EDITION" is mixed media horizontal landscape-formatted artwork consisting of urbanscape photography, layered oil, digital painting, custom-designed matting, customized framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics digital processing. This print is the first of a pair examining public narratives pertaining to how reports on climate change are perceived and interpreted. The colors at the center of the image (you can view it by clicking the link at the bottom of the page or by pasting this one https://fineartamerica.com/featured/climate-change-is-not-fake-news-1st-edition-aberjhani.html ) reflect those which have dominated 2018 reports on global warming. The large formatting of this artwork makes it an ideal choice for filling an open wall area.
FROM ART PAGE DESCRIPTION:
Some claim we are experiencing a period of increased warming as part of a natural pattern of changes in the Earth's atmosphere. Others say we are experiencing the direct impact of human disregard for the environment. This, they say, has brought us close to a "tipping point" likely to have increasingly catastrophic results. The divisions are so clear-cut that one U.S. presidential administration (Barack Obama's) readily signed up for the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming. But the next administration (Donald Trump's) just as quickly nullified U.S. participation in the program set to begin in 2020.
No matter which side of the debate you stand on, video footage of huge shelves of ice breaking off from the Antarctic, raging fires devouring communities in California, heatwaves causing Europeans to faint in the streets, and horrific rainstorms in India and elsewhere are unsettling. Therefore, they are forcing more and more dialogues on the subject.
Aberjhani
Aug 21, 2018
August 11th, 2018
Use Discount Code GMKJUD for 15% OFF all Official Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork.
"All the Flowers We Meant to Give Each Other" is a collage of photography, watercolor, digital painting, custom-designed matting, customized framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics digital processing. As the title implies, it is work inspired by very personal circumstances to which many can likely relate (please click link bottom link to see image).
FROM THE DESCRIPTION:
About a year ago I was doing research on how people practice compassion on a daily basis when I came across a website filled with individuals expressing grief after losing someone to the opioid crisis. That was about the time Americans discovered just how bad it was, and is, after seeing the number of deaths caused by it jump from 33,000 in 2015 to 44,000 in 2016. I empathized with those grieving on the website because I had seen how different forms of drug addiction decimated the community where I was raised. What I did not consider at the time was the possibility that 12 months later my family would experience the loss of a niece to social crises numerous families are facing.
I had not seen my niece--actually grand-niece--in a decade. She nevertheless was someone I often thought about because I used to babysit her while her grandmother went to work in a hospital emergency room in southern Florida, and the aunt raising her had not yet gotten off work. Her biological parents were both struggling with the kind of issues that would later impair her life.
I had recently separated from the Air Force and was completing a book project, so would sit her bassinet beside me as I typed. When taking a break, I would carry her outside and pray out loud for her as we walked around a mango tree. The praying came naturally because it was obvious to me that despite all the good loving people surrounding her, she was going to have some serious challenges on her hands once she grew up. And she did.
Hard drugs play their part in destroying lives but I have been forced to wonder about the role played by our daily choice of priorities. Such as maintaining engaged connections with those we say we love versus becoming so involved in individual ambitions that the word "love" loses any relevancy. While I do not hold myself responsible for my niece's death, I am holding myself accountable for having been totally unaware of how difficult daily life had become for her. Therefore, this work of art titled "All the Flowers We Meant to Give Each Other" is dedicated in honor of her and the many people struggling to come to grips with a hellish epidemic that can be stopped. The word "We" is used in the title out of recognition that even though drug addiction is recognized as an illness, drug addicts themselves have to gain the will and strength to fight for both their lives and the lives of those trying to help them. Making it a point to empower each other is the only way anybody wins.
Aberjhani
August 2018
August 11th, 2018
Use Discount Code GMKJUD for 15% OFF all Official Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork.
"Redbird Dreaming about Why Love is Always Important" is a mixed media vertical-formatted work consisting of nature photography, layered oil, digital painting, custom-designed matting, customized framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics digital processing.
This print is the first in the new Redbird Series. The brightness of the colors make it stand apart from succeeding prints (please click link bottom link to see image) and it is also distinct in the series because at this point it is the only vertical portrait-print in the collection. The vertical formatting makes it particularly suitable for t-shirts, posters, bed covers, and greeting cards.
FROM THE DESCRIPTION:
"Redbird Dreaming about Why Love is Always Important" is the official first print in the Redbird Series. I started working on the art collection in the summer of 2017 when I spotted a male North American cardinal flitting about the back yard trying to draw the attention of a female. It hung around for several days and sometimes kept still long enough for me to get some interesting shots later used as models in the creation of a mixed media canvas.
This artwork follows up on the visual theme noted in the collage titled "All the Flowers We Meant to Give Each Other." But with a definitive difference. Specifically, the exuberance of the colors in "Redbird Dreaming about Why Love is Always Important," and the playfulness of the title suggests a reconsideration of what individuals and societies consider most important on a daily basis. This print flips the motivation described in "All the Flowers" by celebrating a possibility open to everyone as opposed to mourning its loss after it is too late.
Aberjhani
August 11th, 2018
Use Discount Code GMKJUD for 15% OFF all Official Postered Chromatic Poetics artwork.
"Redbird Sifting Beauty out of Ashes" is the second print in the Redbird Series and my homage to those battling California's historic wildfires of 2018. (Please view image by clicking link at bottom of page). It is a landscape-formatted artwork consisting of nature photography, layered oil, digital painting, custom-designed matting, customized framing, and signature Postered Chromatic Poetics digital processing.
The balanced light and dark hues, with colors appearing to emerge from smoky shadows, framed by shades of gold, teal, and rust make it easy to imagine the cardinal at the center of this work surrounded by danger as well as inspired beauty. The landscape formatting make this art particularly desirable for either large wall canvases or smaller purchases like cups and cards, from which a substantial percentage of the proceeds will go toward support for survivors of the California wildfires.
FROM PAGE DESCRIPTION
Whether it's because I lived in California for a number of years or because the magnitude of the blazing destruction taking place there at present is so overwhelming, "Redbird Sifting Beauty out of Ashes" is my tribute to those caught up in the 2018 inferno. As horrendous as it is, so many are rising to the challenge of surviving, continuing to fight the monstrous flames, and somehow rebuilding shattered lives.
Yet at the same time that I find myself so deeply moved by the devastation taking place in California, I realize we are living in an era when different kinds of "natural" and man-made disasters are forcing many people to start all over again all over the world. "Redbird Sifting Beauty out of Ashes" is a visualized hope they all find the strength, faith, determination, and support needed to succeed.
I'm not sure how to go about it at this point but am looking for ways to donate a sizable percentage of sales from this work to relief funds for people coping with the wildfires. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate receiving them via either message here or in the comments section.
Aberjhani
August 2018
August 2nd, 2018
"Suzannian Algorithm Finger-Painted on an Abstract Wall Number 1" (which you can view by clicking the link at the bottom of this post) was inspired by conversations with the artist to whom it is dedicated: Suzanne Jackson. We discovered we both had connections to the U.S. state of Alaska. Later on when working on the project to commemorate approaching milestones, I felt something reminiscent of the colorful aurora borealis would make a good image on which to place an original poem.
FROM THE PAGE DESCRIPTION:
As stated on my signature line, this artwork was created and is presented in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance and the brilliant artistry of Suzanne Jackson. It is one of two different images featuring the same poem. A significant percentage of sales from prints, t-shirts, cups, and other products featuring the artwork will go toward supporting the Five-Decades Retrospective exhibition of Ms. Jackson's art scheduled to be held at the Telfair Museum Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia (USA) in 2019 from June 28 until October 6. Below is an excerpt from the poem written specifically for this poster and occasion; it is followed by more information on Suzanne Jackson:
"Sweet honey-colored prayers disguised
as unrepentant love songs float perfumed clouds
above unmapped territories emerging
from between the cracks of a flesh-and-spirit cosmos.
Forging masterworks out of unkind injustice.
Humming forth gold out of murdered treasures.
"Her Life, like her Love, pulses painted poems
streaking an abstract wall with impeccable grace."
--Aberjhani (2018 from poem Suzannian Algorithm Finger-Painted on an Abstract Wall)
Ms. Jackson is the recipient of a B.A. in Art from San Francisco State University and holds an MFA from the Yale University School of Drama, Design. She has enjoyed a highly-productive career both as an artist whose works bridge the gap between the Harlem Renaissance and our contemporary era, and as an educator.
She was only 24 years old in 1968 when she took the incredible step of opening Gallery 32 in Los Angeles, California. That move made her only the second gallery owner of African descent in the City of Angeles, a.k.a. "the City of Stars." It allowed her to advance not just her own career as an artist, but that of other women as well. Particularly notable was the gallery's "Sapphire" review of African-American women artists held in 1970. Ms. Jackson's own works since then have been shown in exhibitions across the globe.
In addition, her career as an educator has been a distinguished one, including stints as a Professor of Painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) from 1996-2009, and as Adjunct Professor of Painting, Graduate Studies, at the same institution from 2009-2013.
Prof. Jackson has said of her work: "By continued searching to find 'spirit' references especially in Indigenous-American cultural traditions, established and evidenced in the entry origins of African-American cultural experiences, I am following the paths of ancestors." That search and path includes the groundbreaking labors of the artists of the Harlem Renaissance; hence, the appropriately combined commemoration of Jackson's extraordinary accomplishments with the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance.
Aberjhani
August 2nd, 2018
I am profoundly grateful to the 3 women who modeled for "Suzannian Algorithm Finger-Painted on an Abstract Wall Number 2" (which you can view by clicking the link at the bottom of this post). Each is highly-accomplished in her own right and did not have to accommodate me compiling photographs of them to use as references for the creation of this artwork. In the end, their group portrait has been combined with an abstract painting background and custom digital matting with the overlaid text of the title poem.
FROM THE PAGE DESCRIPTION:
As stated on my signature line, this artwork was created and is presented in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance and the brilliant artistry of Suzanne Jackson. It is one of two different images featuring the same poem. A significant percentage of sales from prints, t-shirts, cups, and other products featuring the artwork will go toward supporting the Five-Decades Retrospective exhibition of Ms. Jackson's art scheduled to be held at the Telfair Museum Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia (USA) in 2019 from June 28 until October 6. Below is an excerpt from the poem written specifically for this poster and occasion; it is followed by more information on Suzanne Jackson:
"Sweet honey-colored prayers disguised
as unrepentant love songs float perfumed clouds
above unmapped territories emerging
from between the cracks of a flesh-and-spirit cosmos.
Forging masterworks out of unkind injustice.
Humming forth gold out of murdered treasures.
"Her Life, like her Love, pulses painted poems
streaking an abstract wall with impeccable grace."
--Aberjhani (2018 from poem Suzannian Algorithm Finger-Painted on an Abstract Wall)
Ms. Jackson is the recipient of a B.A. in Art from San Francisco State University and holds an MFA from the Yale University School of Drama, Design. She has enjoyed a highly-productive career both as an artist whose works bridge the gap between the Harlem Renaissance and our contemporary era, and as an educator.
She was only 24 years old in 1968 when she took the incredible step of opening Gallery 32 in Los Angeles, California. That move made her only the second gallery owner of African descent in the City of Angeles, a.k.a. "the City of Stars." It allowed her to advance not just her own career as an artist, but that of other women as well. Particularly notable was the gallery's "Sapphire" review of African-American women artists held in 1970. Ms. Jackson's own works since then have been shown in exhibitions across the globe.
In addition, her career as an educator has been a distinguished one, including stints as a Professor of Painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) from 1996-2009, and as Adjunct Professor of Painting, Graduate Studies, at the same institution from 2009-2013.
Prof. Jackson has said of her work: "By continued searching to find 'spirit' references especially in Indigenous-American cultural traditions, established and evidenced in the entry origins of African-American cultural experiences, I am following the paths of ancestors." That search and path includes the groundbreaking labors of the artists of the Harlem Renaissance; hence, the appropriately combined commemoration of Jackson's extraordinary accomplishments with the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance.
Aberjhani
July 20th, 2018
The Harlem Renaissance is celebrated around the world as one of the most important cultural and political periods in African-American and American history. Next year, 2019, celebrations will get underway to mark the 100th anniversary of the Renaissance.
You might say that I started my own celebration of the Harlem Renaissance Centennial with the publication of both Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (2003 and 2010), and The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois (new eBook edition due out July 31, 2018) followed by launch of the 100th Anniversary of the HR Initiative in 2011. It was probably inevitable once I started producing images that I would tackle tributes in this medium as well. But my aim is not just to salute the past. It is to help safeguard an irreplaceable legacy by adding contributions which hopefully will inspire modern sensibilities to learn more about it and join in on celebrations of the centennial. So please: accept this as YOUR INVITATION.
Many tend to identify the highlight of the Harlem Renaissance as a period lasting from 1919-1929 with events centered primarily in Harlem, New York, USA. But when studying the continued productivity of artists and writers associated with the era, and looking at "spin-offs" that took place in different American cities, it becomes obvious that the 20s were only the beginning of a movement which adapted and evolved for at least two more decades.
The artists of the Harlem Renaissance were essential to American history because their works formed a significant psychological bridge which made it possible for African-Americans and Americans in general to make the difficult transition from the cultures of slavery, reconstruction, and neo-slavery to the progressive social actions of later decades.
Among the most celebrated of these artists were: Aaron Douglas, Lois Mailou Jones, Augusta Savage, Jacob Armstead Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Beardon, and numerous others. Their work, like that of literary counterparts such as Claude McKay and Dorothy West, often struck a fine balance between political propaganda and individual expression.
One of the most important gifts contributors to the Harlem Renaissance gave the world was an enduring strategy for refining the practice of democracy. They painted, sculpted, wrote, danced, sang, marched, taught, and kept striving at a time when Blacks were routinely lynched for not appearing subservient enough, or, for posing what was perceived of as an economic threat. Their everyday courage and commitment to creative civilized responses to sanctioned brutality was remarkable.
Aberjhani
©July 2018
July 20th, 2018
When I look at this artwork in its current form, I am reminded of the late art critic Bertha Husband's description of the style and technique known as "real" painting. In her review of the ELEMENTAL Exhibit then on display at the Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia, she actually excluded from the definition my own fondness for mixed media and growing appreciation of the digital canvas. But what I find applicable from her review and relevant to my experience with this work is Ms. Husband's observation about the artist confronting a blank canvas with just the following:
"...an idea that cannot be expressed in words, and perhaps just a few sketches. The painting is realized in the process of its creation, and the end result can often surprise the painter, himself."
That entire last sentence and the part about being surprised oneself is especially true in the case of Song of Love and Compassion. Believe it or not, it started out as a light sketch for pages containing single words popping up out of a book (I still might try that again). Or maybe just one page containing a quote. In the course of considering things like text fonts and placement, I got so carried away with fusions of colors and lyrical lines until what was supposed to be something more concrete and representational evolved into an abstract celebration of shared humanity. I wasn't just surprised. I was flat-out stunned.
Different people looking at this artwork might tend to see different things. Some may see a mysterious cloaked (possibly winged) figure that appears to be either ascending or descending in a cloud of chromatic light. Others discern something along the lines of space nebulae, a jeweled tapestry, or a simple colorful holiday greeting card. What I see and feel is a small tribute in the form of a visual ode to the ordinary folks of this world who continue to give life invaluable meaning just by treating each other with such tax-free things as kindness, compassion, and mutual respect.
Aberjhani
©14 July 2018
July 20th, 2018
Lovers Dancing in the Golden Light of Dawn is one of those pieces I had to force myself to stop working on after years of experimenting with different ideas for it. A number of artists have told me about similar struggles deciding when to quit or whether to "give up" a certain work for sale.
I got started on Lovers Dancing in the Golden Light of Dawn back in April 2016. A lot of U.S. citizens at the time were concerned about unification as an extremely divisive presidential campaign got underway. Thus even though the two figures seen here are confronting each other, they are also celebrating the democratic process of a peaceful transference of power from one political administration to another.
The style chosen for this image was inspired by the painted linocut art of Luther E. Vann published in ELELENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love, a book he and I created together and published with the assistance of the Telfair Museum of Art. The woodcut images in the book are "The Boudoir" (p. 25), "Washington Park/A Night Out" (p. 48), and "Star People" (p. 71). However, with Lovers Dancing in the Golden Light of Dawn I mixed that particular technique with a layered oil pigment effect.
Early experiments using photographed eagles as models resulted in a single silhouetted figure that was featured in my poster titled How to Hear Each Other. At the same time that I doubled the figures to underscore the significance of balanced relationships, I decreased their physical density. This was done to emphasize the feelings of emotional or spiritual connectedness some people say they experience when committed to consciously practicing love and compassion as an antidote to the damage caused by hate groups.
The final sections of the sound waves in the upper left quadrant, the waves of metallic teal light in the right, and the entire bottom section of the sparkling green river and shadowed banks took months to design and apply. The creation of the gold frame is a developing story in itself and is another one of my attempts to employ frames which supplement the narrative of the portrait or landscape.
Aberjhani
©July 2018
July 20th, 2018
This print was almost titled Roses and Wings for Caring and Giving because of the subject which inspired it. Elderly matriarchs in most large southern families in America have traditionally been taken care of by younger female relatives when the time for such attentiveness came. The situation was different in the case of this family portrait. The matriarch seen seated in the lower left corner was looked after by an adult son, standing behind her.
More and more people around the world are coping with the issue of caring for the elderly as different countries' populations age. Depending on the culture, some see the challenge as a burden while others view it as a blessing or ennobling responsibility.
The flowers in this instance represent an accumulation of the woman's grace over the years and also the gifts of wisdom and patience that make caring for each other possible. On the woman's dress is a glowing winged figure carrying a yellow rose but the figure itself appears empty on the inside. This emptiness is symbolic of the loneliness from which many elders (and Millennials for that matter) tend to suffer on our planet even though we number in the billions with individual mega-cities containing populations of more than 15 million. Moving toward the woman to help alleviate the pain of loneliness is another winged figure bearing light and carrying a rose to fill the painful hollow void. The caregiver benefits as much from this exchange of beauty and intentional compassion as the one receiving care.
I wanted a frame for this print that would function as an extension of the artistic theme and of the portrait itself, so worked to construct one of gold-embossed flowers to do exactly that. Felt humbled by the surprising results.
Aberjhani
©June 2018
July 20th, 2018
This abstract print along with it corresponding piece, Cultural Literacy for Lovers & Dreamers Number 2, was created out of recognition of the millions of people currently #seeking relief from war, starvation, terrorism, gun violence, drug addiction, & various forms of intense struggles in the world.
The concept of cultural literacy has become an important one as #immigrants attempt to #assimilate into new #communities across the globe. It has also increased in significance as diverse demographic groups--like #Women, Latinos, LGBTQ, #Asians, Middle Easterners--within various countries have begun exercise considerable political power and social influence.
The symbols of opposition in the #painting see here are easily apparent but these are not what ultimately define it. The discerning #viewer will also notice harmonizing forces attempting actions which ultimately result in mutually-beneficial unions. It is a visual representation of one of those strange things about human beings wherein we somehow often manage to extract out of our individual and collective suffering different kinds of #beauty: such as #love, compassion, & yes, art.
My hope is that all the abstract works in this gallery containing this image reflect some of our capacity for transforming grief and horror into inspiration, healing, and love.
July 20th, 2018
Providers of some friendly feedback regarding the first two posters in my Official Dare to Love Yourself Series suggested that, for their specific tastes, the images were "pretty but kind'a tame." I heard them well enough and for this third edition in the series kept the basic visual formula while upping the ante on the color-impact factor. The rationale behind critiques seemed to center on the idea that love in all its forms should exhibit energetic sustainability. (Honestly not sure what was meant by that but giving it my best shot.)
I have posted about the origins of this quote here at Fine Art America, my Bright Skylark Literary Productions website, and on different social media. It has been famously tweeted by folks like David Bowie's widow Iman, and actor and rapper LL Cool J. For those who missed previous posts, here is a little background info taken from my book, Journey through the Power of the Rainbow:
"It came from the poem 'Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying.' A kind of rainbow-striped light bulb went off in my head as I noted the poem was part of the original Songs of the Angelic Gaze series written in 2006 during what I have come to call the summer of the angels...That particular haiku stanza [Dare to love yourself/ as if you were a rainbow/ with gold at both ends.], I had hoped, would speak some faith into the hearts of the 33,300 young, old, and in-between cross-cultural individuals in the United States alone on their way to committing suicide; and to the 20 million, according to the World Health Organization, throughout the Global Village who attempted suicide every year.
"Whether naïve on my part or not, it seemed worth taking the time to try to convince others that their lives possessed beauty and meaning worth preserving and honoring. I had hoped too that these lines might help persuade those silently combusting inside suppressed rage and muted disappointments to express their painful frustration in ways other than mass murder. If they could recognize and celebrate value within themselves, then perhaps they could allow the same in regard to those upon whom they projected their own self-loathing and sense of worthlessness." (from Journey through the Power of the Rainbow)
Aberjhani
© July 2018
May 11th, 2018
The current celebration of the 10th anniversary of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love, continues this week with the posting of two new print images: Portrait of the Poet as an Angel Drunk on Love, and, Black When Haitians Were Heroes in America (first in a series of 4).
The beautiful irony of this part of the celebration is that for the original ELEMENTAL book and museum project sponsored by the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, my contribution consisted of poetry and essays. For this 10th anniversary celebration, following the passing in 2016 of my co-creator, Luther E. Vann, on the original work, I am now producing visual and literary art.
You can learn more about the 10th anniversary celebration here: https://www.author-poet-aberjhani.info/author-statement.html
In addition to commemorating the anniversary of ELEMENTAL, I like to think the new images on Fine Art America also pay some small tribute to the creative vision manifested in Vann's work. That would, in addition, mean acknowledging the exemplary labors of such Harlem Renaissance artists as Romare Bearden and Beauford Delaney.
You can check out both new images by clicking on the link. The extended descriptions of each can give you some idea of what inspired the titles and creation of the images themselves.
Aberjhani
July 17th, 2017
I have received a lot of encouragement from the great community at Fine Art America since joining a couple of months ago and today was notified about my first sale. It is for of a pack of Official Chromatic Poetics greeting cards titled “Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge The Morning After Hurricane Matthew No. 2.”
Have to admit to being very moved by the sale of this particular image because the black and white composition was inspired by the work of my late great friend photographer Jack Leigh.
With hurricane season now fully upon us, this particular image along with the artwork titled “The Hurricane and the Confederate Monuments” make good reminders to plan ahead for possible catastrophic weather conditions. The link is to the Talmadge Bridge image that sold.
May 15th, 2017
Fountains are among the most admired ornamental manmade structures because they combine the artistic beauty of refined sculpture with the precision of engineering and architecture. Celebrated examples can be found all over the world, including Savannah, Georgia. One of the city's most famous is the subject of two new Postered Chromatic Poetics images. Below is the text for them and although I like both, I confess to being particularly pleased by the results achieved with Champagne Twilight:
CHAMPAGNE TWILIGHT: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)
The elegantly-sculpted Forsyth Park Fountain, also referred to as the Versailles Fountain, dates back to the 1850s when model for it was derived from French-styled designs of the period. Along with the Confederate Monument, this is one of the primary centerpieces of Forsyth Park. The present-day fountain is the result of many renovations over the past century and a half, including a complete restoration in 1988.
A robed woman adorns the top of the fountain as water birds and tritons (or mermen) spout water below. In addition to benches that allow passersby to sit and enjoy the view, the fountain is surrounded by moss-covered oaks, palm trees, magnolias, and elms.
Prior to becoming known as Forsyth Park, the location during the Civil War was the South Common military encampment where POWS and a hospital were maintained.
SEPIA AFTERNOON: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)
A solitary figure stops in front the Forsyth Park Fountain to enjoy one of the city of Savannah's most popular and majestic attractions.
Ever since the days following the American Civil War, the fountain has been a favorite location for residents and visitors alike to take photographs. During the war, the park was known as the South Common military encampment where prisoners of war, a hospital, and poor house were maintained.
The fountain's spraying water is dyed green every year in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. In this image, late afternoon sunlight on a hot summer day creates an amber sepia haze that colors the air and water, slightly clarified and enhanced by digital filter.
Aberjhani
May 15th, 2017
The Dare to Love Yourself "movement" had nothing to do with National Selfie Day when it began to slowly develop ten years ago. The well-known quote--"Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends."-- as many are now aware, originated with the poem Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying.
The poem was first published in the book The Bridge of Silver Wings and later in The River of Winged Dreams. It has become increasingly popular over the past few years as a rallying cry to support suicide prevention and to discourage suicide bombers. The association with National Selfie Day was never intentional but obviously a natural one which hopefully helps encourage not narcissism but a positive healthy self-image and a deep appreciation for all life.
The following descriptions are for recently-added images that celebrate the potential healing capacity of love in all our lives:
AS GOES LOVE, SO GOES LIFE
The title of this artwork comes from the poem "The Poet-Angels Who Came to Dinner" published in the book The River of winged Dreams. An earlier alternative version features a different color scheme.
The design used for this one was chosen because instead of idealizing hopes centered around romantic love, it seeks to evoke to many nuances of all kinds of love: family, spiritual, friendship, joy of living, pursuit of creative goals, etc. It also acknowledges that Love is often as much a struggle to maintain as it is a pleasure to be enjoyed.
The complete first stanza of the poem from which the quotation was taken reads as follows:
I.
Neither had been invited but both were welcomed.
They spoke through wordless intuition, cool nods of
"Peace-Be-Still," and, "As-Goes-Love-So-Goes-Life."
DARE TO LOVE YOURSELF ON NATIONAL SELFIE DAY
Loving yourself isn't just about the photographs we post to our social media profiles to show the world we know how to have fun. It's mostly about recognizing where we fit in the larger scheme and how our lives contribute meaning and value to the world. This the poem, published in The River of Winged Dreams, from which the dare-to-love-yourself quote is taken:
Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying
1.
As you bury flesh––
honor spirit, savor hope,
cherish memory.
Consider heaven
as a world-weary stranger
asleep in your heart.
Quote words that affirm
all men and women are your
brothers and sisters.
Pull the child away
from feeding at the mule’s tail.
Give the baby food.
2.
Compassion crowns the soul with its true st victory.
Hearts rebuilt from hope resurrect dreams killed by hate.
Souls reconstructed with faith transform agony into peace.
Wisdom applied internally corrects ignorance lived externally.
3.
Dare to love yourself
as if you were a rainbow
with gold at both ends.
Write a soft poem
to one you called bitch, shit head,
nigger, fag, white trash.
Live certain days dressed
in your lover’s smiling soul
while she, he, wears yours.
Imagine your mind
wings intent on expanding
and watch your joy fly.
Aberjhani
May 2017
May 4th, 2017
Who hasn't at some point wished they could just fly off somewhere, like birds or other winged things, without dishing out cash for a ticket or becoming unwillingly intimate with pat-down procedures? My homage to winged beings actually began a long time ago but here at Fine Art America I'm approaching a favorite symbol from a new angle with two new images:
BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT OF PEGASUS AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE
"In the valley of the shadow of broken worlds your wings dazzled and light reclaimed its beautiful power."
Aberjhani (from The River of Winged Dreams)
The winged horse Pegasus and the Golden Eagle are two of our most powerful symbols from mythology and nature. The beauty of both have been known to inspire courage and hopefulness during times of personal crisis or chaotic upheavals in the world.
The quote in fact is from a poem about Christmas, but you think about all the disorder and instability currently shaking up world communities it fits well.
The sample presented with this post is a horizontal detail from the larger piece.
WE’RE STILL HERE AND HOPE YOU ARE TOO
This shot of 4 seagulls on a River Street pier in Savannah, Georgia, is another taken the morning after Hurricane Matthew downed trees and swept water throughout the city.
A lot of people avoided the threat of physical from the hurricane by evacuating the city before it hit. Others huddled together either in the sturdiest structures they could find or wherever they happened to be.
But it always seems a mystery how seagulls and other birds and animals manage to survive such powerful weather events then show up the next day looking as calm as this flock. To me, their countenance seems to quietly state: We’re still here and hope you are too.
Aberjhani
May 4th, 2017
One of the hardest questions posed by recent headlines in the U.S. has been: How do we come to terms in 2017 with legacies of an American past during which racism and other forms of social injustice were openly practiced? It's not a question that can be ignored because we're seeing so many of the results from it in the form of a rising number of hate groups and more overt promotions of fascist and nihilistic ideologies.
Several of my newest Postered Chromatic Poetics images examine the roots of some lot of the negativity--from racial tension and the economic divide to religious conflicts and the gender gap-- we're seeing now. They are less about shouting out accusations than about inviting reflections. The following are the text for them:
SOUTHERN TREES AND THE STRANGE FRUIT THEY BEAR (I)
I don't think Billie Holiday would mind me paraphrasing hers and Lewis Allen's famous song for the title of this image: Savannah's famous Confederate Monument as seen through curtains of gray Spanish moss hanging from the limbs of an oak tree in Forsythe Park.
Like many such monuments throughout the southern United States, notably the one recently removed from a public space in New Orleans, this one has been the subject of some controversy. You can't really tell by the angle used here but this is one of the largest Confederate monuments in the country.
The gentleman who posed for it was Civil War veteran Hamilton Branch.
SOUTHERN TREES AND THE STRANGE FRUIT THEY BEAR (II)
This is a variation on the first Southern Trees and the Strange Fruit They Bear.
Like many such monuments throughout the southern United States, notably the one recently removed from a public space in New Orleans, this one has been the subject of some controversy. You can't really tell by the angle used here but this is one of the largest Confederate monuments in the country. The gentleman who posed for it was Civil War veteran Hamilton Branch.
EUGENE TALMADGE MEMORIAL BRIDGE AND THE SERIOUS POLITICS OF NECESSARY CHANGE
A lot of articles have been written about why the name of the bridge spanning the Savannah River between the city and Hutchinson Island needs to be changed. Simply put: many feel it endorses white supremacy and ignores the obvious painful affront to Savannah's majority African-American population and its larger progressive diverse community.
During a 2016 "Span the Gap" initiative advocating for the change, a reporter named Janet Leigh Lebos asked for my input on the issue. The following is from her articled published in CONNECT SAVANNAH:
"Well, thus far it seems because the will of Savannah’s citizenry has been thwarted by the intimidation ploys of a few bullies—tactics familiar to Eugene Talmadge, who used them to oppress and abuse anyone he didn’t like. That’s what we’re memorializing unless we support our elected officials in getting this done already—not next session, not next election cycle.
"'It should not be necessary in 2016 to stage marches across the bridge or have sit-ins on it to disrupt the illusion, or delusion, of normalcy in order to bring about a crucial intelligent change,' counsels Aberjhani.
"It shouldn’t be necessary, but maybe that’s what it will take. It actually sounds pretty awesome: To climb to the apex of that two-mile marvel with our neighbors and friends as the giant ships sail beneath, hand in hand as we stand up in the name of connecting Savannah with the right side of history."
(Janet Leigh Lebos, CS, April 13, 2016, http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/name-shaming-the-talmadge-bridge/Content?oid=3432869 )
Aberjhani
May 2017
April 26th, 2017
I just added 3 images to a new FAA collection called Sojourns in Cosmopolitan Multicultural Savannah. Because the city is an odd mixture of diverse cultures framed within some intense southern history, the text provides a bit more background than what is used for most collections. They are, beginning with the description for the collection itself, as follows:
Sojourns in Cosmopolitan Multicultural Savannah: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/posteredchromatic-poetics.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=726286
Savannah, Georgia (USA), is a city of many cultural expressions and historical influences. It is one of America's original 13 colonies and often appears on lists of top tourist destinations.
This image gallery features fine art photographic images and digital creations in both color and black white. It showcases a unique perspective on various popular sites of historical and sociological significance. In some cases, the images underscore rarely-discussed issues evolving around racial tensions and the so-called wealth divide.
IMAGES
OWENS-THOMAS HOUSE IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Built in 1817-1819, the Owens-Thomas House mansion is part of the Telfair Museums complex and a National Historic Landmark building. It is often described as one of the finest examples of Regency architecture in the United States and when designed and constructed, by architect William Jay, was considered extremely sophisticated.
It is prized today by historians and tourists as a prime example of an urban antebellum structure where slave quarters remain intact behind the main building.
At a time (the 2010s) when large numbers of Savannah's indigenous African-American population are falling prey to gentrification, the elegant mansion is also an important reminder of how far they have come since the American Civil War.
EUGENE TALMADGE MEMORIAL BRIDGE THE MORNING AFTER HURRICANE MATTHEW
Commonly referred to as the Savannah Bridge, the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge was named after a former governor of Georgia. The name is an extremely controversial one because although rightly lauded for his labors on behalf of many, Talmadge was also known to have been an unapologetic white supremacist. Various campaigns to have the name changed have failed but various advocates of diversity and multiculturalism continue to encourage awareness and change.
The photographic image seen here was taken Oct 8, 2016, the morning after Hurricane Matthew swept through the area. The seagull silhouetted near center foreground atop a post held still just long enough for this shot be taken and then flew off.
This is dedicated in memory of the late photographer Jack Leigh, who was a native of Savannah and a master of black and white photography.
THE HURRICANE AND THE CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS
One of the city of Savannah's most admired public spaces, Forsyth Park, became a devastated landscape after the edge of Hurricane Matthew swept through the city on October 7 and 8, 2016. The giant toppled tree seen in this image was one of many that transformed the normally garden-like tranquility of Forsyth Park into something more like a foreboding swamp or a war zone.
The park was the location of an important campground during the American Civil War. That historical footnote is commemorated by the tall fenced-in Confederate Monument framed by the clearing sky, and the smaller bust of Confederate Army Major General Lafayette Laws.
The abundance of monuments documenting history considered important to Southern Whites in contrast to the paucity of such monuments acknowledging the city's large African-American population's accomplishments has long been a source of political and social contention.
Aberjhani
(blog photo of Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences museum building by Aberjhani)
April 18th, 2017
EDITORIAL NOTE: This is a continuation of the previous blog discussing changes in the publishing industry in regard to books of art and poetry. Publication of the ekphrastic art and poetry collection ELEMENTAL, the Power of Illuminated Love, proved an exception to the rule made possible by an invested community. Next month, May 29, 2017, will mark the ninth anniversary of the publication of the celebrated work by artist Luther E. Vann and myself:
Living Art, Living Poetry (continued)
Until the advent of the modern self-publishing and “author services” industry, getting any book published by an author who had yet to establish him- or herself as a viable commodity within the literary marketplace was much like running, at first one decade-long marathon to build up enough courage to call oneself an author, and then a second to convince a bona fide publishing house that you were not delusional by making such a claim.
This meant books of poetry published outside the academic arena were considered foolishly frivolous investments, and books of art extravagant pleasures afforded the few but not the many. Yet at how many graduation ceremonies, political functions, funerals, weddings, conventions, and other life-defining events are the words of poets evoked to clarify the spirit and substance of the occasion at hand? On how many rainy days and in how many hours of stifled desperation has an individual made her way into a museum or gallery and took healing refuge in an image that bore witness to their heart’s challenging journey?
There is much that could be said about ELEMENTAL as an extraordinary gift of manifested vision in the lives and works of two creative artists. We can note the still amazing fact of how I first came across Luther E. Vann’s work on exhibit at the Beach Institute on May 30, 1991, and found myself transcribing his painted worlds into notes for poems and essays long before considering the possibility they might one day serve as the foundation for a book. Or we may consider how the journey started on that day took another 17 years––almost to the day!–– before arriving at the destination of publication. From the writer-poet’s perspective, I remain humbled by the history accumulated along the way and which in times of doubt helped renew motivation and creative energy. That the poems eventually included in ELEMENTAL contained value far beyond kudos for an individual author was made evident when audiences at coffee house open mics expressed their enthusiasm and readers of those poems published in ESSENCE Magazine did so as well.
The greatest testimony, however, came when the story of the struggle to publish ELEMENTAL reached members of the Telfair Museum Friends of African-American Art and they in turn shared it with the city of Savannah. Members of the community (SEE “Thank You Gracious Contributors” page in Google book preview) then chose to have their say by contributing funds to raise the monies necessary to get the book published. They succeeded in a spectacular way that remains profoundly inspiring.
Whereas the great historian and humanitarian W.E.B. Du Bois once observed that “the cause of war is preparation for war,” the actions of those who made ELEMENTAL possible led me to consider that the cause of beauty and grace in the world is humanity’s empowerment of beauty and grace in the world. While it is unlikely that poetry or art shall eliminate the reality of war in the twenty-first century, it is thrilling to know there remain individuals, and even entire communities, still willing to invest in art and poetry’s own uniquely explosive contributions to the great, and small, dramas of human history.
by Aberjhani
April 17th, 2017
Art and poetry have long functioned as a kind of team in my creative life. It’s interesting at this point, while setting up the profile here on Fine Art America, to recall the different who have inspired me.
I never intended to make attempts at doing what they did, and do, so expertly. I usually wrote about their work or composed poetry inspired by it. Any number of times they were kind enough to provide cover art for my books. Now I’m branching out a bit and enjoying producing some images which I hope people find engaging on a few different levels.
Among the artists I worked with the most was the late Luther E. Vann, with whom I created the book of art and poetry titled ELEMENTAL, the Power of Illuminated Love. The excerpt below talks about how we viewed the traditions of combing ekphrastic poetry and art. It from my essay, Living Art, Living Poetry, on the Anniversary of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love:
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”
––Leonardo da Vinci
There’s nothing surprising in the observation that literary artists and visual artists often combine their talents to create works which, when joined together, allow each to transcend possible limitations of the other. The literary artist lends verbal depth to the visual. The visual artist provides visible articulation for the literary.
The goal of each has generally been the same: to fashion out of the raw material of creativity a symbol—or an image—capable of communicating some significant experience of truth, beauty, life, or death, to the observer. And there have been in fact any number of successful partnerships between such creatively charged intellects. Artist Romare Bearden and playwright Ntozake Shange’s I Live in Music comes to mind; as does various works by Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca; the visual style of Aaron Douglas and the literary voices of the Harlem Renaissance; the French poet and critic Apollinaire Guillaume, whose literary loyalty empowered the bohemians of Picasso’s early days; and more recently, poet Coleman Barks’ interpretations of Jalal Al-Din Rumi “illuminated” by Michael Green.
I meditate upon these creative artists’ subtle yet titanic achievements at this time for two reasons: one is because the ear-drum shattering booms of war and the soul-numbing cracklings of human discontent that continue to echo across planet Earth remind us of how painted and verbalized visions help people retain a sense of context and harmony in an era that too often seems to make such notions—like black and white TVs-- utterly obsolete. The second reason is because May 29, 2010, marks the second anniversary of the publication celebration for the art and poetry gift book, ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love, held at the Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia. A third less official reason is because recently ELEMENTAL was added to the Google Book search engine, which means those unfamiliar with it may now enjoy an extended preview .
Considering the legacies of visual art in partnership with literary art, in general, reinforces the powerful resources they still provide. Contemplating the anniversary of ELEMENTAL in particular renews appreciation for the extraordinary milestone it continues to represent.
PART 2 FOLLOWS
Aberjhani
April 17th, 2017
Created by author and digital artist Aberjhani, ®Posted Chromatic Poetics is a style of creative visual media that presents original poetry and other literary statements as visualized art. It utilizes digital schematics, found objects, collage, and other brand source elements to fuse language and chromatic symbols into lyrical statements on humanity's challenges and triumphs.
Posted Chromatic Poetics is the fine arts operation branch of Bright Skylark Literary Productions that oversees the creation and distribution of official ®Postered Poetics artwork.
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and native of Savannah, Georgia (USA), Aberjhani is multi-talented creative artist. His visual work is sometimes posted with his well-known poetry and blogs featuring his essays on literature, politics, spirituality, journalism, and the creative muse. He has authored a dozen books and served as an editor on a dozen more. The author-artist a winner of the Thomas Jefferson Award for his journalism, the Choice Academic Title and Best History Book Awards for his historical writings, the Creative Loafing Critic’s Pick Best Savannah Author Award for general authorship, and the Connect Savannah Poet and Spoken Word Artist of the Year Award for his poetry, as well as the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait Award for stories on the late King of Pop.
His books include: Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player (a novel, 2016); The River of Winged Dreams (poetry, 2010); The Bridge of Silver Wings (2009); ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love (2008, with artist Luther E. Vann); The American Poet Who Went Home Again (2008); Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World (2007/2008); Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black (2006); Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (2003, Facts On File); The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois (2003, Kensington Books);and I Made My Boy Out of Poetry (1997, Washington Publications).