I just had the honor of teaching and reading about Martin Luther King Jr. What a great read that was! In honor of Matin Luther King Jr. I want to research black artists, share some motivational words of wisdom and embrace my art because I have a dream! We all have dreams.

Ok so let’s get started.

Every time I listen to Martin’s I Have a Dream speech it moves me. It makes me stand tall and proud to be who I am, to be an artist. We should always stand tall and never apologize for who we truly are. I always go back and forth with doubt. I want the words of Tabitha Brown and James Victore. This is me. This is what I do. This is my business.

Here are some awesome Black Artists

• An artist that I love is Faith Ringgold. Her book Tar Beach reminds me that love and imagination will take you wonderful places.
• EttaVee’s work is bright and colorful. It makes me step out of my comfort zone and be colorful too.
• Horrace Pippin sketching racehorses on spare pieces of fabric sounds cool
• Kara Walker and her black silhouettes. What makes an artist make art the way they do is phenomenal, that’s the real art.
• Yinka Shonibare and his dresses

I could on. Here is an amazing list of artists that you should know about. I am going to pin this to my art board on Pinterest. For many of these artists art was a form that told them yes in a world where everyone told them no. There is power in that. Our minds, our imagination, that is a freedom that no one can take away from us.

These are my favorite words of Faith Ringgold.

You can’t sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it

Let this post be a reminder to express ourselves, embrace who we are and continue do the work we are meant to do. Who is your favorite artist? Black Artists. Mexican Artists. Asian Artists. There is room for all of us! Maybe the poster for A Painted Garden with my 10 rules should be like a Horrace Pippin thoughtful portrait? I’ll look into that!

With Love, Mireya