About: My degree is in engineering. Figuring things out and problem-solving is not what I do, it’s who I am. I constantly ask myself how and why something works. This same inquisition is part of the reason I love photography. As a self-taught photographer, I have found that photography among other things is a simply a balance of light, time, and subject.
My goal as a photographer is to continuously mix these three elements together to create an image that is truly sui-generis; An image of expression, focus, and substance. My passion is still capturing the moments that matter the most; however, I have grown in my photography.
I am in love with the smile and the expression that lovers make when they say I do. I embrace the notion that all women are beautiful and strive to make that a constant visual reality in my work. The diverse way I view the world is influenced by my experiences in living in many places (Compton CA, Carson CA, Cotton Plant AR, Los Angeles CA, Houston TX, Dallas TX, Atlanta GA, Long Beach CA and Oakland, CA).
‘It is in the living and the experiencing that you will find the light…my job is to capture those special moments in between.’ Gregory Worsham
About: Kumi Rauf grew up in a loving Pan-African household filled with music, art, activism, travel and photography. His inspiration for photography stemmed from his father, uncle & brother who are all established photographers. His inspiration for art & travel come from his mother.
After leaving corporate America, Kumi took his first international trip. They say once your mind is stretched by a new idea, it never regains its original dimensions. Kumi traveled extensively throughout Africa and other parts of the world soaking up culture and using his camera as a conduit for telling forgotten stories and forbidden tales of Blackness.
Recently Kumi has begun to document more stories in his own backyard. Oakland has so many beautiful and resilient stories to tell, these must never be forgotten.
In addition to being a photographer Kumi is also a drone pilot. Capturing images and video from an aerial perspective allows more encompassing ideas to take flight in his art (pun intended). Kumi blends his passion for Black cultures, storytelling and traveling in his artwork. He also leads tours to many different places around the world. Because of his love for travel & art he is known as the Escape Artist.
More info: The double exposure piece shown here showcases Huey P. Newton (co-founder of the Black Panther Party) and a nighttime scene in Oakland. Embedded in the image are different themes encompassing various aspects of Blackness.
About: Welcome! I’m an Oakland, California based photographer, artist and writer. I love capturing a diverse range of subjects, some that tell a story, create a somber mood, simple beauty or form. I’ve been involved with Art of the African Diaspora group since its inception in the late 90s. My focus is on fine arts and photojournalistic work, capturing people, places, things, abstracts and portraiture.
More info: I’m proud to be an Artistic Achievement Award winner of Art of the African Diaspora in 2000, for “Parade”, (above), my portrayal of youth at a Black Cowboy parade. I sell handmade greeting cards at my online store https://www.patpatcreates.com/collections The cards depict my larger pieces, sold at exhibits, fairs, online and my studio. I love connecting with art supporters, customers, other artists, to encourage and swap stories.
I love hearing from you! Follow me on Instagram: patpatcreates, Facebook: @patpattersoncreative. My art is available for purchase at www.patpatcreates.com or by viewing my virtual gallery. Thank You for your support and for visiting my page!
About: I design, fabricate and custom-make wearable art and small sculpture in my studio in Oakland, CA. My primary mediums are sterling and fine silver; I also work with 14K and 18K white and yellow gold., primarily sterling silver (and sometimes 14k gold elements to my designs) and often add high quality gemstones. My methods include, but are not limited to fold forming, forging, soldering, stone setting and more.
I am a self-taught artist though I recently had a short study with a master goldsmith in Dakar, Senegal; I am also an arts educator and have created a program to teach this artistry/vocation to young women and girls of African descent who might not otherwise have access or opportunity. I was inspired my time in West Africa and the isolation of being the only woman metalsmith around, and by the incredulous faces of girls and women who would look, awestruck, at me as I worked. The program, We Wield the Hammer, debuted in 2019 in Oakland and is headed to Dakar, where the saying goes “women don’t wield the hammer”.
I work with hammers and fire and files and saws; living and working as an artist is the best job I’ve ever had. My work, like my life, can be minimalist or maximalist; elements of my Buddhist practice can be seen in my ZenSpin ring; as well, my cultural heritage as African-American in informs mud cloth inspired pieces and masks that I create. My work is informed and infused by my woman-self, my black-self, my Buddhist self, my aging self. I express gratitude and joy through my work; and most importantly, I imbue the work with the spirits of women who were never able to “wield the hammer”. I make circles and curves and textures that represent the power and light and the feminine.
Zoe Boston was born in Southern California, raised in upstate New York, and has now lived in the Oakland Bay Area for 6 years. She is an artist in almost every sense of the word, as she paints, sings, and writes. she uses her gifts to show God to this world and give glances into a world unseen. Her inspirations come from God, life, love, music, and everything in between. She has been drawing all her life, however, didn’t start painting until She came back to the west coast.
In 2019, Zoë Boston received the Jan Hart Schuyers Artistic Achievement Award through The Art of Living Black, establishing her as one of The Art of African Diaspora’s 2020 Spotlight Artist and featured speakers. She has exhibited at the Richmond Art Gallery in conjunction with The Art of Living Black, Jingletown Art Studios, American Steel Studios, Abrams Claghorn Gallery, The Grove salon, and Joyce Gordon Gallery.
The motif of the pieces she is exhibiting is the process of a journey. Everyone’s journey has similar phases; The ups, the downs, the importance to keep going, and to trust God. At the same time, everyone’s journey is wildly different, and that is part of what makes us who we are. Through the viewing windows into her world, That she calls art pieces, you can see how her journey has shaped and prepared her.
She calls it art to simplify the means of expression. These pieces were birthed from the revelations of her life experiences so far. She grows with each new piece. You are not just witnessing art but, portions of her life’s journey.
About: Diamela Cutiño is a photographer from Havana, Cuba. She is most known for her work documenting Black culture in Cuba including the Lukumi religion, hip hop, jazz, and street culture. She currently lives in the Bay Area.
bio. Kim Champion is a native Californian, born in the Bay Area. She is a graduate of Cal State East Bay University with Bachelor of Arts in Traditional Studio Art.
artist statement. I’m inspired by sources such as, nature, rural settings, and modern painters from Georgia O’keefe to Norman Lewis. I use color, shapes, shading and my imagination to visualize a story of how to bring these organic elements together. My method can be impulsive and tedious, but the quote by artist Jasper Johns sums up my feelings and informs my process.
“Sometimes I see it and then paint it. Other times I paint it then I see it’ – Jasper Johns
About: After a thirty year career as a graphic designer, photographer, videographer and business owner I’m now enjoying life in retirement by enjoying my first love, creating art. I work in several mediums including oil, watercolor, pastel and charcoal. My greatest artistic influence is Charles White, renowned African American artist and illustrator. Many of my paintings and illustrations reflect the importance and grandeur of historical African American music imagery.
Dear Mama, Our isolation strings us together like ropes that anchor ships to the shore. Holding tightly, but barely holding on as we slip in and out of fear and into hope for yesterday times. We move forward blindly, arms outstretched, Warning! Measuring! But yearning for closeness. The memory fading. Stories we will tell our young if we could only remember. This masquerade is now the only show and we are lost. There is no map through these vacant streets, abandoned buildings, and empty parks, Yet, we will bear down and push. The way we did before. Push through the pain and weeds surrounding our core and we will feel at peace. Again. ……………………….
BIOGRAPHY: TaSin Sabir uses her love of art to express topics that are important to her. TaSin graduated from California College of the Arts with a BFA in Photography. An Oakland native, TaSin’s artwork has been exhibited all around the Bay Area and Nation. TaSin has published two photography books: Madagascar Made and 100 Families Oakland. Currently TaSin runs a Photography and Graphic Design business. tasinsabir.com
About: KaliMa Amilak is an Afro-Caribbean photographer, and multidisciplinary artist native from Brooklyn, New York. In their experience as a photographer, they have sold and exhibited artwork in various galleries in Brooklyn, and in the Bay Area such as SOMArts, The San Francisco Human Right Commission Center, and The Richmond Arts Center. They have also been published in online publications such as AFROPUNK, and recently will be having a billboard mounted in Brooklyn by SafeArtsSpace. Through their movement in art, they are devoted to self expression and celebration for black queer people sharing their life experiences as a means of healing through empowerment.
More info: The images submitted is from a recent series, “CHRYSALIS,” a poetic photography series that portrays the complexities of what it may be like to internally reset in order to grow while sheltering in place during a pandemic. This series is not for sale.
You can see more of my work and purchase my work on my website. You also can see current work or updates on my Instagram @kalimaamilak, or contact me at kalimaamilakphoto@gmail.com.
