Thank you, Dayton Metro Library and the Dayton Art Institute, for this amazing honor.  In partnership with the Dayton Art Institute, the Dayton Metro Library has commissioned visual artists to create artwork appropriated from pieces within the Institute’s permanent collection. Inspired by the romantic nature scene of “Growing Flowers” by American painter, Mary Pierce, and the hard geometric vibrant colored Antelope Head Puppet from the Bozo people of West Africa, my painting, “Parade,” vividly celebrates the joy of discovery.  Every time viewers return to the 6 x 60-foot canvas, I want them to be drawn into it and find something new.  Like the layers of leaves that are evenly balanced with the atmospheric sunrise of Pierce’s work, I am creating an expansive all-over compositional climax that references the natural world and pulls the viewer in. The patterns of contrasting shifts in color appropriated from Bozo people of Mali create a rhythm of continuous movement that motivates and inspires.  As the forms interweave and interact with each other to create a greater whole, this painting echoes the library’s vision of elevating community.

Bozo people (Mali), Antelope Head Puppet, 20^th century, Paint, wood, iron, and rubber, 26 1/2 inches, Museum purchase, 1998.94 (Right)