Mother Picking Cotton charcoal by Shirley Whitaker
Charcoal
Remembering Mary Turner: Taking A Stand
Mary Turner was a young pregnant African American Female in Lowndes county, Georgia that was lynched in 1918 after confronting the Klan about lynching her husband. With that act of confronting these white men, she insured her death. This sketch was done with the ideas in mind that she knew she would surely die. She was amazingly strong. Pencil
We Still Stand
This project consists of a series of interviews with African Americans eighty years and older who was asked the question, “Why have African Americans been able to survive four hundred plus yeas in America?” The multiple pencil sketches of the subjects along with their conversations will serve as the template for a future book of etches. Working with Michael Kuch of the Double Elephant press the book is scheduled to be completed in 2021. PencilOverview
Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker was the art protege of one of American's leading artists, the late Leonard Baskin. She not only challenges herself but will challenge you Using oils and mixed media, she will astound you with her detail and warm your heart with new perspectives.