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Onzie Norman
"Mental Capacity" Mixed Media, Fictional Image of African American, Iconic Color

2021

About the Item

"Mental Capacity" is a fictional experience whereby an African American man from the 1970s discovers his artistic side. It is generally known that most people are either left brain or right brain with the right being the creative side and the left the analytical side. "Mental Capacity" deconstructs this theory and shows artists can be one side or the other, or both. The frame is broken to symbolism the destruction of a inapplicable theory. Artist, Onzie D. Norman, explains his work as his journey into the powerful energy of abstraction. He creates abstracted figures inspired by indigenous people, African mask sculptures and the Neo-expressionistic style that emerged in the late 1970s. His figurative paintings are created with a blend of collage and paint. Often viewers will see one of the eyes blotted out – this represents the history of ethnic groups that have been wiped out. His non-representation work is abstract and free flowing. He creates his own canvases out of wood which allows him to experiment with different shapes and sizes. After picking color combinations for each piece, he applies paint and other materials intuitively in layers utilizing shape, line and color to produce compositions that are pulsing with energy. Mr. Norman is a self-taught mixed media painter from Detroit, Michigan, born in 1980. He was drawn to both the architectural and abstract aspects of carpentry when in high school and followed that interest graduating from Detroit Carpenters Apprenticeship School in 2003. This craft would play an important role in his artistic development. After a vision in 2013, Onzie began to draw this led to his experimenting with painting on wood. He constructs his canvases out of wood and uses acrylic, enamel, ink, paper, sand and resin for his unique abstract paintings. Onzie has worked diligently towards building his art career with multiple, solo and national group exhibitions including the Bombay Artesian Series, Art Prize and the Essence Festival in New Orleans. His work is in many private collections and was recently acquired by NFL linebacker Deandre Levy, Actor Charles Michael Davis and American journalist Stephen Henderson. He is currently part of ‘BAM: My Art is My Voice” exhibition in Detroit, Michigan. Signed and dated by the artist on the lower right. Frame is sculptural part of work. Artist's signature on lower right. Photography by PD Rearick
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