I’ve been working hard on Pilot #5 this last week and trying to get more focused on my 2016 exhibition plans. It’s funny I got this new organizer last week thinking it would help me to feel more scheduled and instead I feel as overwhelmed as ever. Oddly enough it’s this painting that’s causing much of my stress. It’s coming in for a landing probably sometime this week and it’s an all encompassing endeavor to finish it. I think of the painting night and day, making it difficult to focus on anything else.
Right now I’m on the collage phase of my painting process. Yesterday I finished collaging my little diva of the painting, a Phylicia Rishad in a hijab with 99 virgins scrolled across her ample chest. I don’t know what exactly possessed me to add this element but I got this image in my head 4 years ago and so it had to go in. There are more thanks a few sexual references in the work as well, continuing an element of whimsy found I think throughout the series so far. So here it is so far. Talk to you soon.
Anthony Smith Jr. 