Crystal DiPietro

Stormy Day in the San Juans, Original Painting

2024

Ann Graves Tanksley, Untitled (Mother and Child), mixed media on Japan paper, c. 1960s. Signed 'A. Tanksley' in gold in the image, lower right. Linoleum cut in black ink on Japanese paper, with blue and gold brushed ink; cloth batik collage, and metallic gold star laid onto black construction paper. Created as a seasonal greeting. Inscribed on the inside panel is 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love, John & Ann.' Archivally matted to museum standards. Unique. Image size 7 3/8 x 4 7/16 inches (187 x 113 mm); front panel size 8 11/16 x 5 3/4 inches (221 x 146 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST “Her work reflects the influence of her travels, the residential colors, the simple work habits, the loneliness, and the love and devotion to one’s spiritual beliefs. There is a oneness of artist and concept. Her love of life, despite social barriers and frustrations, is promoted in her work for audiences to witness and accept... Her paintings evoke a spiritual awakening. One is drawn to the intensity of color that prevails and identifies the moods of feasts and celebrations. ...Life is full of anticipation and dedication, of acceptance and hope, of faith and survival. These are all present in the works of Ann Tanksley.” —Robert Henke, The Art of Black American Women: Works of Twenty-Four Artists of the Century, McFarland & Company, Inc., 1993. Ann Graves was born in 1934 and raised in the Homewood community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Drawn to art at an early age, Tanksley graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1956 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Following graduation from college, she married fellow Homewood native John Tanksley, and the couple moved to Brooklyn, New York. He worked as a photo retoucher in the advertising industry. Tanksley devoted herself to raising her daughters while working as an art instructor before fully pursuing her artistic pursuits. She was an art instructor at Queens Youth Center for the Arts from 1959-62, the Arts Center of Northern New Jersey in 1963, and a substitute art instructor at Malvern Public Schools in 1971. She also served as an adjunct art instructor at Suffolk County Community College from 1973-1975. Tanksley continued her art education with studies at the Arts League of New York, The New School, the Paulette Singer Workshop in Great Neck, and the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, where she learned monotype printmaking. In addition to Blackburn and Singer, Tanksley studied with several renowned artists throughout her career, including Norman Lewis (artist), Balcomb Greene, and Samuel Rosenberg (artist). Tanksley was one of the first members of Where We At: Black Women Artists, Inc., a New York-based women’s art collective founded by artists Kay...

Summer Bloom [2021] Original Flowers Mixed media on board Image size: H:45 cm x W:3 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:45 cm x W:30 cm x D:30cm Framed Size: H:45 cm x W:45 cm x D:3cm Sold Framed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look Summer Bloom is an original painting by Natalie Bird...

Jean-Michel Basquiat, a prodigious talent who tragically left this world too soon, was a force of nature in the art world of the 1980s. His works were characterized by a unique fusio...

I stared at the man with keen interest, hoping to know more about what life has in store for me. The man looked at me sternly, and I couldn’t be more convinced he had seen everything, including my afterlife. A strange language jolted me back to reality as I realized the lady in the room had arrived at the intersection where "Malaicha" and other spirits were. I watched in confusion as the man quickly scribbled down what appeared to be an interpretation of the foreign tongue. My patience dwindled per second as the man kept penning down words. To shorten a long story short, the interpretation was presented in bold letters. My background was also written as additional proof of the veracity of the "spirit." I became eager to know the way forward. "Abeg, Sir, and Ma help my life." "I want to come out of my family's shackles and enemies," I pleaded. They exchanged a knowing look as if they’d been anticipating this moment. My pockets started running dry while my anxiety spiked. I was told to join their religion and denominations. Of course, it’s preferable to go from "God" to "God" in spiritual warfare. I wish to go back to the point of ignorance, where no one was after my life and every day was another day to conquer. A few months later, I realized that to see beyond any circumstances, we must be at ease and calm; we are better able to discern people’s motivations. To see beyond is to see with our inner eyes rather than filthy, unknown eyes. To see beyond is to remain steadfast in personal prayer and to hold out hope that your prayers will be heard. To see beyond is to see beyond the limitations of flesh, realizing that you are gods. Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Abiola was born in 1992, in Odo-ona Elewe, Ibadan, Nigeria. He was trained and mentored by Mr. Tope Fatunmbi...