ART ::: Music Man by Martha Wade

MUSIC MAN
by Martha A. Wade
16x20" acrylic on canvas, 2010

HISTORY ::: Happy Birthday Dr. King

KENNEDY AND KING
by Edaw Wade
Digital canvas art 2007
Par of original mural 1971
Art Prints ::: from $28

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and died April 4, 1968 as an extraordinary man. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, Dr. King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action.

Meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience, and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution.

He planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.























Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Custom Canvas Art founding member artist, Edaw Wade has created many paintings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Some grace the walls of the City Colleges of Chicago, and others have been turned into digital canvas art. The mural above shows Edaw in front of his Howard University mural, by Edaw Wade, 1976.





















See more murals by Edaw Wade.

Art + Poetry ::: WOMAN POWER

Woman Power
by Martha Wade (@wadecreate)
60x60" Acrylic on Stretched Canvas, 2001
































ART + POETRY
Poem written by Niya Holland

Sometimes, we do all we can.
Sometimes, it isn't enough.
Sometimes, we fall short.
And sometimes, we want to give up.
But a woman's power is never-ending,
Ubiquitous and unwavering.
Witnessing a woman's power can give us all the strength
To brave the course
And wade through a sea of blue
To reach the flower at the end.

_____________________________________________

THE POWER OF A WOMAN
by Teresa Brouwer

Women are powerhouses. We can tackle just about anything. We work full-time while being pregnant and we still come home after an eight to ten hour work day and have dinner on the table, kids bathed and in bed by 7pm.

Women are creators. Without women, the human race wouldn’t exist.

Women are your best friends.
The strongest bond in this world is between two women who are the best of friends. Women will always be there for one another no matter what. We are caring, sensitive, and always available for our friends.

Women are honest. Women are honest with themselves and you can count on women to be honest with you about anything.

Women are self-sacrificing. They always put their needs second especially for their children, spouse, and family members. A mother will put aside a pair of shoes she has been dying to have so that way her child could have what h/she wants. A woman will put aside her career to start a family.

Women are smart. Women learn all trades of life from working, playing sports, cooking, cleaning, giving birth, raising children, to holding down a full-time job while taking care of a family.

Women are fighters. A woman’s experiences in life may bring her down, but then will bring her right back up again. She knows how to move forward and she knows how to fight for her life and her rights.

Women are strong, beautiful, and bold.

Art + Poetry ::: BLUE PRAYER

BLUE PRAYER
Digital Art 2007 by Edaw Wade
Variation of original "PRAYER" oil on canvas 1971

ART + POETRY
I'm falling, spiraling, crashing down
To the bottomless void of hell
There's no one there to catch me
My prayers of song,
Offer me hope and solace
But the darkness consumes me
I'm lost, confused, ashamed
For the things I have done

I love and fight for what's right
Yet so scared for what may come
Trying desperately to understand
But the gray haze clouds my mind, the lines blurred
What's right and what's wrong?
I'm falling, spiraling, crashing down
To the bottomless void of hell
There's no one there to catch me
Will there be peace when I'm done?

Photo comments
Canvas Prints from $49

ABOUT THE POET
Written by Nur Zahra Young ©2010. Nur Zahra Young is a young female artist and designer that loves movies and TV shows. She plans on turning the world into an abstract canvas!

Twitter: @Aura_talZahra
Art Shop: Zazzle Shop
Art Blog: Live Journal Geometric Art

ART ::: The Horn by Nshira

THE HORN II
by Daniel "Nshira" Akortia
25x40" Acrylic on Canvas


ABOUT THE ARTIST
Daniel Akortia is a talented painter from Ghana, Africa who wants to make it big in the art market. He has a passion for painting and would like to market his art to buyers and art lovers in the United States.

Daniel signs his paintings as "Nshira" which means Blessing. Nshira refuses to be drawn from real life, but draws from his personal visions instead as inspiration for his vibrant paintings.

PAINTING ::: Inner Struggles of Self

INNER STRUGGLES OF SELF
Original 16x20" Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

by Martha A. Wade
Founder, Custom Canvas Art Gallery

ARTIST DESCRIPTION OF PAINTING:
I painted INNER STRUGGLES OF SELF during my first Art History class at the University of Michigan in 1998. Throughout the course, we discussed the significance of race in art and media. The discussions often made me think about my own background, and how my mixed-race background shapes my artwork. I didn't want to be categorized as "black art" or "main stream art" or feel limited to paint certain kinds of people. I always enjoyed living the best of both worlds, between the black and white family and friends. I don't want to choose to be one or the other, black or white.

I went home that afternoon and began painting feverishly, and didn't stop until I had created this painting. At the time, I didn't know what to call it or how to explain it. I suppose years of reflection have given me the knowledge to see myself more clearly through my work.

This painting is a representation of those inner struggles that occur within me when I think about being black or white. I painted the person in the middle in Grey, to symbolize the combination of both, and the colorful forces in the world and within us that try and influence our minds. From the people who tell me I am not black enough, or want to feel my hair, to those who come up to me speaking Spanish because they assume I am too - I accept them all.

I no longer get offended at the questions about my color and race - I use it as an opportunity to educate and remind them that I am a person first. I believe people are many things, and above all we are all ARTISTS who merely needs to be encouraged to come out and CREATE!

Read what My Daily Art Blog said about the artist, Martha Wade and her painting.

GALLERY ::: UK Art Gallery

According to the Notting Hill Independent, A Gallery is "the Number One Predictor of Future Art Stars in Britain."

For over 11 years, A Gallery has been showing new works by rising stars in contemporary art.

The purpose of A Gallery is to help collectors find an original and special artwork for their home, work or investment.





ARTIST FEATURED IN A GALLERY
Fran Recacha
At Custom Canvas Art, our favorite artist from A Gallery is Fran Recacha, an oil painter and truly gifted talent.

The Barcelona-based artist creates gracefully molded figures engaged in dream-like scenes and interpretations to poetic depths.

The drama he designs in his complex compositions is elegantly undercut by his cool palette and detailed cityscapes.

(Sapiens XXI Century, Oil on canvas, 195 x 300cm, £11,700)

The Painter's Dream

The Lost Dream

(Icarus, Oil on canvas 2007, 130x195cm)

About himselfFran says "My work has as principal protagonist to the human figure, as element to express ideas, feelings or visual games, by means of a figurative style near to the magic realism and the symbolism."

Contacting the artist:
Email artist to buy work or get more information
A Gallery website

ART ::: I Value Me by Tye Johnson

I VALUE ME

by Tye Johnson

24x30" mixed media

art prints from $45

ART + POETRY
poem by @wadecreate

what is your value?
do you feel fine?
are you happy,
in your own skin?
aged like fine wine.

do you rejoice
in your mind,
despite trials and
strife?

and find the value
within yourself,
every single day
of your life.
i value me.

PAINTING ::: Drink Youth by Nshira

DRINK YOUTH
24x30" Acrylic on Canvas
by Daniel "Nshira" Akortia

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Nshira is a young artist from Ghana. He refuses to be drawn from real life in his artwork, but from his own personal visions.

Many of his paintings can be found in private homes and collections, art galleries in Ghana, and he also exhibits his work at national and international art fairs.

ART QUOTES ::: Man and Woman

"Being a woman is a terribly difficult task since it consists principally in dealing with men."
- Joseph Conrad














In a response to our post on Facebook with this quote, one friend said:
"Funny how us men feel exactly the same about women." ~ Lance Garnett ~

Touche.