Abiola Akintola

Abiola (Ah-Bee-Or-Lah) is a true hybrid of different art generations. A native of Nigeria, he began to study formal art at an early age of 9. From mastering the techniques of life-drawings, anatomy, portraiture figure-paintings, and sculpture, he proceeded to earn a college degree in Sculpture and exploited sculptural art as a translational form for representational and expressionistic paintings. Works by Abiola provoke contemplation of the recent past, the fleeting present and the unknown future.  His works delve into multiple layers of meanings and virtual plays to create mystic auras and positive vibrations. In his works viewers enter a different realm of consciousness; a synchronistic and revelatory world of energy, spirit and emotion where spontaneous improvisation, music and poetry are the language spoken.

Abiola is stimulated by many diverse concepts and subjects, but focuses his attention on the intensity of the creative process. He is in touch with the intangible as well as sensory perceptions; making feelings and memories his greatest resource. Abiola states, "The bond that unites the diversity of my interest is also constant in my life, a need to achieve a balance between discipline and abandon are the key recurring components of my work, that mirror my life"

A resident of south suburban Chicago, he is considered as one of the most innovative and dynamic artist in the art scene today.  His works which evoke feelings of passion and spirituality, are an exploration into subtleties and nuances of male/female and human relationship, with creative forces that drive other art forms such as classical and jazz music.

Abiola is an artist who has found his own unique style for which he has been known as "lyrical expressionist". In several works, he exhibits a de-constructivist and re-creationist of forms in ways that complement his saturated use of colors. His works has been exhibited and collected extensively throughout Europe and United States and Africa. Abiola recently donated a work of art titled "beyond Parameters" to the United States Sports Academy during a ceremony on July 29th 2008. This work placed second in the United States Olympic Committee Sports and Art Contest organized by the Academy. He served on the voting  committee for the international Olympics' committee Sport and art contest in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Many of his paintings embody his personal statement of freedom, versatility, and open-mindedness needed for new creations.

www.galleryguichard.com

Danny Broadway

Mixing rich, thin layers of light and dark acrylic pigments with broad, energetic brushstrokes and vibrant colors, artist Danny Broadway exudes his talents by creating pieces that speak to a viewer’s soul. As ancestral memories flood his mind and senses with the sounds, smells, sentiments, sensations, and actions of various eras, Broadway contemplatively depicts serene scenes that entice viewers to gaze often upon history in the present. Though Broadway has a quiet disposition, his art speaks volumes. His disciplined, yet freely expressed, creativity led him to a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Memphis.

His creations span several media types reflecting an artist that is always in motion and striving to reach new heights with his talent. Even as a youngster, Broadway connected with his inherent calling as an artist and has heartfelt memories of creating art. From then until today, Broadway has constantly sought new ways to evolve as an artist. His focus and passion has been evidenced by his dedication to his craft since high school when a dedicated instructor, recognizing Broadway’s diligence and desire, took Broadway under her wing.

Broadway’s dedication to the community is evinced in the numerous paintings and art workshop sessions he donates locally and nationally. Often utilizing his artistic talents to rally support for charitable organizations such as The Memphis Child Advocacy Center, The American Liver Foundation, SOCKS, The American Heart Association, The March of Dimes, Friends for Life, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Memphis.

Broadway currently serves as Artist in Residence at St. Georges Independent School where he provides budding artists with the same inspiration he discovered through disciplined creativity. Broadway’s strong artistic sense and steadfast commitment to the community also led Silver Starr Art Studios LLC (SSAS), an arts and entertainment consulting and design firm, to select Broadway as an SSAS Visual Fine Art Division In-House Artist. ~Red Door Gallery

www.dannybroadway.com

Ted Ellis wins 2009 Pinnacle Award!
An honor bestowed on businesses recognized for their outstanding community service.

Gallery Guichard

Housed in the historic Supreme Life annex (founded in 1919), in Chicago, Illinois, is a three-story building in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood  that illuminates the block of 35th  and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.  The sand colored exterior, with large oblong windows providing glimpses of artwork inside, serves as a creative beacon in the city’s revitalized Black Metropolis.

Artist, Andre Guichard, helps to fuel this structure’s aura.  Started in 2005, Guichard features his work as well as 35 other artists of the African Diaspora. This gallery was designed by the owners. Gallery Guichard is artistically designed with a combination of high ceilings, track lighting and peek-a-boo insets that complement the original works of art in various mediums, sculptures, collages, blown glass, ceramics, metal sculptured lighting fixtures, and furniture.

Music resounds in the gallery and complements the majestic three-story space, as guests wander across the shiny mahogany wood floors, flat-screen TVs show crowded openings and collectors who inform guest of the value of collecting artwork of the African Diaspora. As you walk up to the 3rd floor   you can even see artwork on the ceiling. The gallery showcases new artist every six to eight weeks and always has a huge inventory of work that appeals to everyone.

The mission of Gallery Guichard is to continue to expose the art community to the art of the African Diaspora.  The Gallery strives to provide a portal to fine art and artists of different parts of the African Diaspora.  Gallery owners, Andre, and his wife, Frances Guichard, Stephen Mitchell and Stanley B. Stallworth are best described as a collaborative partnership of artists, collectors and art administrators who take ownership of the mission and who create a unique experience for everyone who visits the gallery. 

www.galleryguichard.com

George Nock

George Nock, former running back with the New York Jets and the Washington Redskins, was inspired early in life to become an artist Nock's journey into the world of art began at the age of three and a half when he impressed the nuns at his nursery school with his exceptional drawings - Nock created his first sculpture, a horse, after being introduced to clay in the second grade. Inspired, he began sculpting animals on a regular basis and at age nine, sold his firstsculpture, a family of lions, for $15.00.

Nock's education in art progressed during his Junior High years where he met William Tasker and John Battle III, African American artists and teachers who became his mentors. Nock excelled in art classes and was chosen to work on special projects and create sets for school plays. While attending Ben Franklin High School in the 1960s, Nock also attended Saturday classes taught by Mr. Tasker at the Fleischer Art Memorial in South Philadelphia. During high school, Nock began to focus more on academics and sports.

Upon graduation, he attended Morgan State College and received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and earned all-american honors in football. In 1969, Nock was drafted by the Mew York Jets where he played for three years before playing out of his option to become a free agent and chose the Washington Redskins in 1972. After suffering an injury, he retired from professional football and continued making a living in the social service fields. Participating in an art show changed his focus, since that time he has paid attention to his first love - art.

The creator bestowed Nock with a natural gift for art and infused him with the ability to create his own images that portray strength, sensitivity and uncanny insight Being able to create his own images of nature and life is what inspired Nock as a child and inspires him still. Prolific in the mediums of pen and ink, watercolor and gouache, Nock likes sculpting best His uniquely inspired creations go far beyond the surface in depicting life's experiences from a Black man's point of view. Nock's images are so strong they cannot be ignored. They reach out and engulf the viewer to become a part of the creation.

Nock's work has been shown in galleries and exhibits throughout the U.S. and is included in the collections of Ethel Kennedy, Vanessa Williams, Evander Holyfield, Nancy Wilson, Joe Namath, Venus Williams and Dawn Staley to name a few. Nock has received many citations and awards including "Best in Show and "Best in Sculpture and Drawing at many juried art shows. He has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles, and has made countless appearances on radio and television shows.

In Nock's own words... It is my life's inspiration to create artwork which reflects moods and moments in life that will stimulate and intrigue it's viewers. Through various mediums, I attempt to convey images of Americana, wildlife and fantasy, while aspiring to be one of the worlds greatest artists - My visual images are a way of sharing what I see, feel and imagine with viewers. I want to always create what I feel.

http://www.justlookin.com/bios/gNock.htm

Jonathon Romain

Jonathon Romain has been an artist for most of his life and a successful gallery-owner for nearly 15 years. Peer into his paintings and you'll feel the shifty movement that pulsates in his art.

Romain has had to meander his way through the complex world of art-dealing. He started by selling his art to several galleries and eventually obtained employment at one. His experience with the gallery's owner provided the artist with the confidence to start a gallery of his own. Upon the acquisition of his own showroom, Romain's eye shifted from strictly art, to the business of art. He quickly established himself as one of the city's premier businessmen, garnering a New Business of the Year Award in 1997.

In 2002, the National Black Prosecutors' Association commissioned the artist to compose a work of art that would symbolize its mission. In addition to presenting his commissioned piece, Romain presented Bill Clinton, the keynote speaker at the painting's unveiling, with an original oil portrait of the President soulfully blowing his trademark saxophone.

Romain's paintings and drawings are colorful abstract pieces; portraits of Barack Obama and Malcolm X as well as the dispossessed and down-and-out; poetic and well-composed nudes; pieces commissioned for friends who happen also to be leaders in their field, whether business or media. It's artwork that has attracted the attention of Black Entertainment Television, the Food Network's cooking whiz Emeril Lagasse, Oprah Winfrey and national news shows. His work has been showcased in museums, galleries and exhibitions throughout the country: The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, The Studio Museum of Harlem and The National Black Fine Art Show in New York among them.

Jonathon has also leveraged his talent on many occasions to benefit the communities in which he serves. He has helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for minority scholarships and community organizations throughout the country. He presently sits on the Board of Directors for Illinois one Family one Child and the Peoria Black Chamber of Commerce.

Romain has had a number of commissions for organizations such as the National Black Prosecutors Association, Cook County Bar Association, State Farm and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. just to name a few. He speaks on a regular basis to schools and organizations across the Country about his incredible will to succeed when all odds were hopelessly against him. He literary gave up blood, sweat and tears to get to where he is today.

Pearlie Taylor

A resident of Chicago, IL, Pearlie is an abstract expressionist artist. Over the past thirty years Pearlie has worked primarily in acrylics but also uses a variety of mediums to express her abstract themes. Her influences range from Jackson Pollack to Richard Dempsey from each she studied their approach to the image thereby enhancing her own ability to create non-representational expression.  In her work she uses color to describe things or feelings in their most fundamental way.  

Over the past thirty years, Pearlie has worked primarily in acrylics but also uses a variety of mediums to express her abstract themes. She has studied at The American Academy of Art, and the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC). She is the recipient of the 2004-05 African American Alliance of the Arts Award for Excellence in Abstract Art, and has been published in the March 2006 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, 2007 Spring/Summer Anniversary issue of BridesNoir Bridal Magazine and the September/October 2007 issue of Chicago GRO Magazine. She won third prize ribbon at Black Creativity 2008 juried art exhibition held at The Museum of Science and Industry.

Included in Pearlie's many exhibitions are a solo exhibition at the University of Illinois at Chicago the 2007 National Black Fine Arts Show in New York and Embrace the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.  Pearlie's work is collected around the country and has been exhibited internationally.  

Publications: Artwork aired on The Morning Show Feb. 9, 2008; 2007 Spring/Summer Anniversary issue of Brides Noir Bridal Magazine; 2007 September/October issue of Chicago GRO Magazine; March 2006 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

www.pearlietaylorgallery.com

Rudolphus Thorpe

Rudolphus’ journey began 15 years ago. With his creative energy flowing, this Wasington D.C. native began to create abstract pieces that immediately got the attention of family, friends, and several Washington D.C. radio personalities. Before he knew it he had earned the name "Artist Extraordinaire," and was selling paintings all over Maryland and Washington D.C. and exhibiting at galleries all over the United States. Rudolphus work has a universal appeal and art connoisseurs from all walks of life collect his three-dimensional, original sculpture paintings. He works in mixed-medium, including clay and acrylics, and lets his soul convey his thoughts through his brush onto the waiting canvas.

Rudolphus, a self-taught artist, is famous for serenading one's soul with his sculptures of simple but elegant lines, silhouettes, and elongated figures on canvas. Every painting he creates carries his unique and unmistakable trademark of sculptured figures and paint, and each one spotlights an inspiring scene that makes one appreciate the gift of life. "Before I sketch or paint, I pray. I love art. It's very relaxing. It's spiritual and it takes me to another level. Its's a gift that has been instilled in me. It's my purpose in life," says Thorpe. "My work is a combination of realism and abstract combined with a touch of class. My passion for life is captured in my paintings."

He has earned a national reputation as a sculpture painter who paints pictures that "breathe life into the soul." "With each delicate stroke, I empower the viewer with a visual slice of the human spirit and capture the spirit within all of us," says Thorpe. His most popular pieces of art include his Jazz Collection, The Tango Series, The Man, Serenity, Soul Mates, Vases, Flowers, Ballerina Series, and God's Hands.

Thorpe's distinctive work has been showcased at the Philadelphia Art Expo, The Essence Festival, The Stonecrest Arts Festival,  Black Heritage Show, Sankofa Art Festival, Lake Meadow Art Show, Park Forest Art Show, RAL Show, President Jimmy Carter Presidential Center, Royalty Fine Arts, Defoor Fine Arts,  Morehouse School of Medicine Annual Golf Tournament, APM Public Relations,  Artistic "Visions", Breeze's Cafe', Sylvia's of Harlem, Victoria's Fox Fine Art, Beyond Images Art Gallery, Art Concepts, Unique and Beautiful Things, Heritage Gallery, Starr Art Gallery, Neleh's Gallery, Takoma Station Jazz Cafe, Detroit's Black McDonald's Owners of America, an many other Galleries and businesses around the country. His work is in many private and public collections and adorns the walls of Flavours Jazz Resturant. Baseball legend Hank Aaron, Smokey Robinson, Kim Coles, Bernadette Stanis, radio personality Donnie Simpson, Media Magnate Ed Gordon, Golf Legends Calvin Peete and Lee Elder, Jeanie Jones of WKYS Radio in Washington D.C., Justine Love of  WPGC Radio in Washington D.C., Doc Walker (Redskins) and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (Bishop Eddie L. Long). Rudolphus was the feature artist for the NFL Super Bowl XL in 2005 in Jacksonville, FL. In 2006 he was the first African American artist commissioned to paint the Super Bowl 40 and NFL logos in Detroit.

In 2007, Rudolphus was one of the featured artists for The Ebony Fashion Fair's 50th year anniversary and was featured in Jet Magazine. He has also been featured in numerous magazines which include Upscale, Homes of Color, Good News, Arts and Expressions, Paint Magazine, Atlanta Metro and People You Need to Know in Atlanta and has served as a guest on several radio talk shows.
 
www.galleryrudolphus.com

Ron Witherspoon

Fiber Art

Born in Harlem, New York, Witherspoon started out with jewelry and craft design 33 years ago. With that craftsmanship experience, he started making “Fiber Art” and continued on for 23 years.

Each piece is one of a kind, by which he blends an array of fibers such as nylon, cotton, silk and other threads to create garments on sculptured wood silhouetted figures.

www.rondellfiberart.com