BIG MOVE

You can now find me at my own domain http://aaminahshakur.com

Updates June 2012

Framed Flower Dot Art – Available in the ElephantandDove Etsy shop

As I am adding pieces here and there to the Elephant & Dove Etsy shop, I’m also working on several personal projects (a father’s day gift & a wedding gift for my best friend, for example) and writing new poetry. Most of my recent poetry is not likely to be shared, as it has been intensely personal. I am, however, also working on lengthy piece for performance at a local Solstice Celebration, which is being held as a gathering of artists.

It is with regret that I have to announce I will not be attending the Allied Media Conference, as I have been unable to put together the funds necessary to go. Certainly, I hope it may be possible next year.

I am running a special at the Elephant & Dove Facebook page! When I get 100 likes on the page, everyone’s name will go into a box and I will draw three names. Winners will receive an original one-of-a-kind bookmark. The bookmarks are watercolor & dot art, handmade by me.

Playing with Watercolor and Dot Art

Framed Lotus Dot Art

It all began with a Mother’s Day present for my mom. Yes, I admit it, I’m cheap. Or more correctly, I’m poor. But it’s also true that there is a limit to how many bath products, flowers, and gift cards you can get a mother before it’s just routine. So instead I decided to play around with some supplies sent to me by my friend Brooke and ended up coming up with this:

Watercolor & Ink Dot Art, Framed

I’ve spent the past week working on sketches and playing with watercolor to begin a project for another friend’s mother who saw this piece and ordered two pieces of dot art.

One will be white dot art flowers on a turquoise background, and the other will be mirrored but turquoise dot art on a white background. This is just the first layer of watercolor so far.

The piece at the top of this post is not watercolor, however. It is something I started at first as a way to test out some new ink & paint pens in preparation for the pieces for my friend’s mom. As I went along, I realized that I might as well finish it and make something of it! The piece is available for purchase now at the Elephant and Dove Etsy shop.

A close up of the Lotus dot art piece

New Mixed Media Poem-Collage Series

This is a mixed-media series I created using my own poetry as transfers over acrylic painting on canvas panels. Some of them include collage elements, others use stamps, and others are a combination of items. Each is 8×11. These are scanned images, so the whiteness that you see comes from the brush strokes of the clear acrylic coating, but the originals are more vibrant in color. I chose bright colors and designs as a contrast to the poems, which are a little darker in topic. These will be available for purchase soon.

Big News: Elephant & Dove Designs Teams Up With Picardo Colors

Cuatros Milagros by P I C A R D O

It is with great excitement that I announce this partnership with Dominican artist Erick Picardo to bring you his amazing art. The new P I C A R D O gallery has been launched!

P I C A R D O is a multi-dimensional artist, combining painting, mixed media, music, and dance into a blend that serves his community, builds bridges, and preserves Dominican island and diasporic cultures. I have been a fan for several years. He is an active community member, leads the Caribbean Nexus aka The Caribbean Coalition for the Arts & Culture West Michigan, and works extensively with local students to promote and teach the arts. You can learn more and view his work and events by visiting and liking his Facebook page, Picardo Colors.

Please bookmark the P I C A R D O Gallery for continuing updates on work for sale!

It’s National Poetry Month! (All the Poetry-Related Updates)

This is another sneak peek! This is from the second series I mentioned. This is text transfer of some of my own poems over paint on canvas panels. There will be other elements of collage added as well, and there are three more I haven’t started yet that go with this series.

I’m planning to participate in an open mic night at the Grand Rapids Art Museum on April 20th (thanks to Greg Bliss for the invite and for organizing it!). I haven’t come to a firm decision yet about which three poems to read. If you’re familiar with my work and you have a favorite, what is it?

Of course there are lots of other art and poetry events locally this month. I’ve already missed several, in fact, because I’m trying to balance my full-time job, a GRIID class, needing to get this art made on a schedule, and my health. I’m planning to show my progress on the collages to a friend after next weekend because I’ve asked him if I can use his venue for a show. I do have plans to attend an open mic next weekend with a friend, and another one on the 17th at Dr. Grins, put together by local poet and activist Azizi Jasper.

A-Poem-A-Day has not been as successful this year as previous years, in that I haven’t managed to write something new each day, but I working on it!

At the same time, I am beginning to read the poetry submissions for the Intersections Anthology and look forward to seeing some new and exciting work on the theme of the intersecting identities of being a Muslim woman artist.

Because I have so much going on, I have not set aside specific books of poetry to read this month as I usually do. I will be reading (and posting a review!) of Liz Henry‘s new collection, Unruly Islands. After that I will return to prioritizing WOC poets, most likely selecting from June Jordan’s Naming Our Destiny.

Also, please remember that I am trying to get to the Allied Media Conference and am fundraising and trying to sell out the Elephant and Dove shop towards that goal! Thanks!

A Sneak Peek at Current Work

This is part of one of two series of pieces I am currently working on. This is very rough, obviously, just the transfers done so far. In fact I’m so unhappy with the Audre Lorde (the magenta one) that I will be trying it over again as my process has improved with more practice.