"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE..."

I had planned on utilizing my blog to go in depth about much of the art and design stuff I'll be working on, and just recently I've gotten a few inquiries about the meaning of my submission for the City Of Ink's "ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH!: Artists United Against Police Brutality" Art Exhibit this pass Friday. So here we go with progression photos and details! Enjoy!



"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE" was inspired by a powerful photo from a series my homegirl TT Coles is working on. It was a Monday, a few days before the show and I hadn't locked in on a concept yet. I've been dwelling on pieces like this for 17 years! (since Rodney King and the L.A. Uprising) And as usual, there's so much to say in regards to the topic, so I wasn't clear on what stance or position to take with my piece. So, browsing Facebook, I noticed a new album uploaded by TT and one of the photos stood out instantly! Not only did the photo stand out, but the title and concept was there with it. So I called up TT and asked her for the images she had for that particular reference shot and she promptly emailed me what I needed to get started.

So after seeing the photo, the title came to mind. Even still, I wasn't sure on all i was going to try to say in such a short period of time. It was late Monday night and I had to have the piece done in a couple days. I tried to keep it simple, but my mind wouldn't allow for it. So I just went with the flow. And as I began to draw, create and paint, the message was further revealed to me. "I Pledge Allegiance" would be a tribute to the victims of police brutality, and give honor to those who have become political prisoners or lost their lives fighting in this struggle.





So the sista represents the foundation of the Black community. She is the mother of all of this we know as civilization. She represents Africa, the beginning. Her hand over her heart is her pledging allegiance to her community, those who've struggled and died, and to the continuation of this struggle. She's wearing a halo because she is a souljah sent by God to properly guide His children during these oppressive times. I'm also VERY big on angels (i have 5 of them tatted on me with more to go!). I think that some humans are God's earthly angels, me and my crew being a few of them. But in my depiction of angels, the one's with halos represent 360 degrees of perfection. She is the closest thing to God. Her war paint is obvious, the red is for the blood shed, the green is for our land, and the black is for the Almighty people. TT shot the photo this way, but it was very relevant in my concept b/c a phrase from an old Sista Souljah song played in my head, "We are at WAR! Black man where is your army!?!"






I incorporated the names of key people, some of which included: Fred Hampton, Sekou Odinga, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Assata Shakur, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Michael Pipkens, Katheryn Johnston, Rodney King, Adolph Grimes, Malice Green, Oscar Grant, Eleanor Bumpers, Bunchy Carter, Sean Bell, The Black Panther Party, B.L.A. (Black Liberation Army) and countless others. These names were placed on the piece for two reasons. Reason #1 has been stated above, reason #2 is because during the African Libation ceremony, names of the ancestors are spoken to call on their spirits and energy for guidance. This ritual is more familiar in the hood when brothas and sistas "pour out a little liquor" for a dead homie. This was/is rooted in African culture. So for my piece, I wanted to invoke the spiritual energies of those dead and alive to speak through my piece.

The burning buildings represent the ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH! They represent us being tired of talkin' and walkin'. They represent rebellion. This verse stuck in my mind as I painted this part:

"...we ain't talkin' no mo', we ain't squashin' shit wit po-po, and we ain't marchin' in the middle of the goddamn street 'cause Martin got smoked, niggas ready for war..."

This verse was from Krayzie Bone on Dead Prez's "Walk Like A Warrior" which was on heavy repeat as I painted.





To see the FINAL final version, make your way to City Of Ink Tattoo Shop and Art Gallery to see this and other fine pieces dealing with police brutality. If you're not in the city and would like to see the final, send me a nice comment and/or email and i might just send u a shot ;).


Overall, that's the concept and where I was coming from with this piece. And as always, I don't think it's finished. I'm the hardest critic of my own work. There's always something I think that needs to be done, corrected or fine tuned. I'm trying to learn to let it go since there's so much more to say about so many other things. Besides, the police just beat the shit out of a 15 year old girl. So I guess it's back to the drawing board huh?



"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

CITY OF INK ANNIVERSARY

Man, Friday was a long yet eventful day. I didn't sleep much if at all from Wednesday to Friday trying to prepare for the City Of Ink's 2 Year Anniversary Art Exhibit, "Enough Iz Enough!: Artists United Against Police Brutality".






The day was very gloomy. It rained all day, literally! We were concerned about the turnout, but Miya said the show must go on! And boy did it! The house was packed to capacity! I almost missed the damn event by oversleeping on my 20 minute power nap that turned into almost an hour! I was so drained and had to take a quick rest before I got dressed. I ended up making it there close to 9ish and there was still a lotta love gathering.



I was excited to see some high school friends of mine who came to support the cause. Thanks to the twins Jamie and Jeff for coming out! And I hadn't seen my homegirl Terrilyn in YEARS!! We have a memorable moment in high school where we started a petition to get a Black author for our book of the month. See, it was February, Black History Month, and our goofy English teacher overlooked that fact by giving us ANOTHER European writer to study. We didn't see that as being adequate, since we only get one damn month out the year. He didn't budge, so we started a petition and ended up reading SULA by Toni Morrison! ;) We were born to Fight The Power!


After seeing the final display and presentation, I will say that I was a lot more accepting to the submissions. But when I walked in Thursday night to do the hanging, I was somewhat disappointed by them, as were my comrades. We didn't feel that the artists really "brought the pain". Not to say we were looking for angry, Fuck The Police pieces, but we were looking for people to convey that there has been a rash of injustices experienced from the police in the Black community this year, 2 or 3 of which have led to MURDER. So I/we were looking for work that was at least somewhat as aggressive as the tactics we're subjected to. Some people did pieces that were too abstract. Like, when you look at them, you almost couldn't tell if the piece was in the right show. But at the end of the day, it all panned out, as pieces from Torry Holmes, Just10, Corey Davis, Melvin, Craig "Flux" Singleton, Kermin Middleton as well as myself came in.

You can check out a few pics I took here. Oddly enough, I don't have pics of the actual pieces since by the time I got there it was a full house. But I'll update later today with pics of the display.

Thanks to all of you who came out to support our 2 years!! Please continue to do so as we have many great things on the horizon!

"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: miyabailey.com

This is one of those cool projects! I am in the process of designing a basic website for Master Tattoo Artist, Miya Bailey, co-founder of the infamous City Of Ink Tattoo Shop and Art Gallery. After I completed phase one of the City Of Ink site, Mr. Bailey decided that he wanted to create a more personal path to his world by establishing his own site. The site will be dedicated to keeping his fans and followers abreast on his personal projects like his book, solo art shows, etc.

This is just a screen shot of the work in progress. I will make another post when we're done.




"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

CATCHING UP...

I've been slackin' on my blog mackin'. Truth is that as much as I've intended to keep you posted on the artwork and expressions of mr.soul, I've been pulled in various directions to do a multitude of things. Definitely not what the average person should be taking on alone, but I welcome the challenges. They're what make you greater, stronger and more adapt to the ways of the world.

So for the past few weeks, a lot has been going on. I've been organizing an art show (that you should make it a point to attend if you're in Atlanta!), working on several projects, developing a few other projects all while trying to maintain my sanity. The good thing is that I have an inspirational circle of people around me who help to keep me grounded and focused, and who help me keep my eyes on the prize.

Sometimes all of this responsibility can appear to be overwhelming, but the key is mastering the art of controlling what you can, and not stressing about the things you can't.

So let's see, in the past few weeks, I've gone home to visit Cleveland in all of it's 6 degree glory! I've definitely been spoiled by the southern comfort. But the warmth of being with my family and childhood friends, who I hadn't seen in almost a year, make the Cleveland cold feel like a hot sunny day on South Beach. There's something special about re-visiting your roots and getting re-connected to the energy that gave birth to who you are. As pitiful as my hometown looks, I am still proud to be a native! Seeing how things have changed over the 12 years I've been in Atlanta does much to fuel my desire to make it, to succeed. I know a lot of people trapped working jobs they don't like because they don't pay shit, or because they're just shitty jobs. I know people who want to up and leave but can't. I hope to inspire these people to keep strugglin' and strivin'. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.



I look forward to going back home this summer though. I don't get to see everybody during the winter because no matter how long you've lived in Tha Land, you STILL don't care to deal with the harsh realities that a mid-western winter will remind you of! But in the summer, everybody's out enjoying the sun and the crazy Cleveland streets. I especially like and remember going down to the lake and watching the sun set. Me and my big homie Rashad used to make that a ritual after working all day and nite on our weeky hip-hop publication, Planet Black Magazine which was based out of Cleveland of course. We were a featured insert in the Call & Post, a Ohio Black newspaper which I believe is currently owned by Don King. It was different times and management back then. That was '95.



Me and my creative comrades at City Of Ink did a photoshoot last month for one of the biggest tattoo publications on the newsstand right now, INKED Magazine. This is a historic event seeing as how City Of Ink is the first Black tattoo shop to be featured in the publication. We have deemed ourselves "The Obamas" of the tattoo industry! The photoshoot was done b a very talented Michael Blackwell, who has been shooting a lot of Atlanta's urban scene for magazines like Vibe, XXL, The Source, etc. Stay tuned for the publication date, and make sure you pick a few of them thangs up!

Aight, now that I'm caught up a little bit, let me proceed to give you what you need!


"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH!: Artists United Against Police Brutality

THE CITY OF INK CALLS FOR JUSTICE IN THE “ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH!”
SECOND ANNIVERSARY ART SHOW



ATLANTA, GA – January 27, 2009 – The City of Ink, Atlanta’s best dressed tattoo shop and art gallery, will be hosting its second anniversary show on Friday, February 27, 2009. The show, "ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH!: Artists United Against Police Brutality," will showcase a range of artists and their interpretations in regards to police corruption and violence against citizens. Last year’s one-year anniversary show, "Schizophrenia," drew over one-hundred spectators to the small shop situated in Atlanta’s historical Castleberry Hill District. The interest from artists and art lovers alike has already ensured that the gallery will be overflowing.

The controversial theme shall be reflected upon by 30 artists and the show promises to be thought-provoking, revolutionary and necessary. The day of the show is also the 23rd birthday of Oscar Grant, the young father in Oakland, CA who was fatally shot in the back by a BART Officer on New Year’s Day. While the date of the show was not intentionally planned to fall of Grant’s birthday, the show’s organizer, Kevin “mr. soul” Harp, realizes that it was much more than happenstance.

“I feel that the recent revelation that February 27 is Oscar Grant's birthday is a divine revelation that we are doing the right thing. Miya (City of Ink’s Co-Owner) selected the date randomly, so we had no way of knowing,” expresses Harp.

Along with Oscar Grant, the names Fred Hampton, Kathryn Johnston, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Malice Green and Rodney King, resonate in the hearts of citizens who have more than grown tired of the abuse at the hands of those who have taken an oath to “Protect and Serve.” The City of Ink is encouraging artists of all kinds to express that pain on canvas, on paper and in song.

“Pain inspires art and seeing people in pain because of the abuse of power has inspired me to make a statement for this injustice. No matter what your race is, when the police treat humans like animals, we as a people must stand up together against evil,” shares Miya Bailey (Master Tattoo Artist & Painter).

Other shows at The City of Ink have been very successful, attracting Atlantans who yearn for art that tugs at the heart and touches the soul. These shows include, “24 Reasons to Live (Tattoo Edition),” Miya Bailey’s solo show “Miya's Dreamland” and “Transgression,” featuring the works of mr. soul and Goldi Gold and the “Life In Motion” photography show.


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About The City of Ink

Under the ownership of Miya Bailey and Tuki Carter, the City of Ink—which opened its doors in February of 2007— fosters and homes the talent of many established and emerging fine artists. The shop is decked with paintings and prints that challenge gallery visitors to think and inspires artists of all mediums to create.

As tattoos are becoming a more common accessory, cookie-cutter and ambiguous tats no longer attracts the shock and awe from the general population. As more and more people are finding new ways to express themselves by being inked, our talented and artistically diverse group at City of Ink customizes pieces for each client, be it a bold statement or a muted visual motif.

In a little over a year, City of Ink has tattooed artists like Sean Garrett, Young Jeezy, America’s Next Top Model Eva Pigford, Big Pooh of Little Brother, Nivea, Young Joc, Gorilla Zo, DJ Don Cannon, Latoya Luckett, and Canibus, to name a few. We’ve also hosted five art shows to date:

There’s a reason tattoo lovers are frantically trying to schedule appointments at COI. Beyond being the most versatile, and encompassing such a range of talents, City of Ink is the best-dressed tattoo shop in ATL.



"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

ARTSHOW: FRIDAY, JAN. 30TH

Come join us at City Of Ink for our creative comrade Kermin's solo show, "COLD CIRCUS". Friday, January 30, 2009!






"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."