DONALD SAWYER

     Compositions produced are mainly narrative and figurative, incorporating African and African-American subjects. Being highly interested in Henry Taylor’s style, my aim is to develop and master my own style of painting while borrowing techniques from Kerry James Marshall, and Kehinde Wiley. 

      I am motivated by “Blackness”, a term that provides both a positive and negative identity. My practice seeks to challenge the black community to empower themselves through presenting personal histories and engaging in activism such as the “Black Lives Matter” movement. I challenge others to contemplate why there is a dual connotation with “Blackness”.

     My process is to work on many images at once, creating photorealistic oil and acrylic paintings and mural studies. Artists often struggle in creating works, so painting many projects simultaneously permits movement back and forth. When one project becomes too intense or reaches an “artist block”, I move to another; always grinding, constantly peddling, but always coming back to every piece with a fresh mind for completion.

     However, my process has been purely experimental using techniques such as “fat over lean’, glazing, and composite arrangements. These processes have afforded me the opportunity to learn how oils are applied, how they rest and how they continue to ‘cook’ throughout the drying stages.