TonyWardStudio.com

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on October 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

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……….Thinking about the Occupy Wall Street movement and the mass arrests across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, October 1, 2011; I couldn’t let my pen stay silent. This poem is titled, “UNITY”.

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“Unity is what the ruling class fears most. When the 99 percent unite against the 1 percent, then things in this country will make a shift towards equality for all. Roaring river of righteousness will wash over those heightened fences of hubris which those of closed ears & minds inhabit. Unity is the brass key to unlock a brighter future for us all. Our raised voices are the defiance that will rock the foundations of white gloved arrogance. UNIFY & DEFY..!!”

Editor’s Note: This is the second collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on September 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

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I am honored that TWS would consider me to do this poem. I am excited for the upcoming re-election of the President. And, I hope I can do him justice with a poem about TRUST.

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As someone who voted for President Obama, I was moved by his message of HOPE. It is true as TW said, that the next step in the movement is about TRUST. Because, I will be honest with you, TW, there are many people that I talk to that are feeling a bit uneasy with the President’s constant compromising with the GOP Congress. Hopefully, when he IS re-elected, his power base will force the GOP to have to let some of his initiatives get passed through the House.
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As I put my poem together, I envisioned President Obama as Commander of our ship of state. At the helm of this ship, he’s leading us towards a hopeful horizon. Even with his critics trying to turn the ship backwards in time, we must trust that this man is capable to lead this country into the future.

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I even thought of Ted Kennedy and his family’s reverence for the sea when I began to write this poem. Life is like the ocean and we all are drawn upon the waves and tides that transform our hearts and souls to strive for change. Trusting President Barack Obama is easy. Because, what’s on the other side of the political ledger is hideous and will move this country backwards, in so many ways. Thanks again for the offer TWS.

TRUST

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The ship of state faces choppy seas of ideological divisions
Commander at it’s helm holds the spyglass towards the horizon
We are all passengers upon this ship
And, to keep on course, all hands must be on deck quickly
Some view the horizon as the setting sun upon their sphere of influence
Some see the sun rising across the horizon with an optimistic purpose
Snappy slogans won’t get us out of this mess,
As gnats of negativity brew in their own distress
Fear is simple
Trust is complicated
Promises never materialize overnight
Yet, a cautious vision can bring clarity in sight
Trust is knowing that the Navigator in Chief is working hard to make things right
Our hearts have embraced hope
Now, is the moment to chart a course with trust
At the helm of this ship of state is a capable man
Yes we can
Keep the faith, baby
Yes we can
Believe beyond the hype
Yes we can
Trust Hope

Editor’s Note: This is the first collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Stiletto

Posted by Mikel Elam on May 25, 2011

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I wanted to create a line of art which might have some of the elements of a fine art painting – yet could be functional and useful. At first, I thought I would incorporate a similar visual vocabulary used in my paintings. After careful deliberation I decided to create imagery which women and some men might find fascinating.

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Art Bag - 1

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The first image which came to mind was the shoe. I have many memories of women chatting about what a great pair of shoes meant to them. They evoked stories of times gone by, the people they were with and of course what they wore.

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Art Bag - 2

I then thought back to great shoe imagery I had seen in both paintings, photographs and illustrations which lead me to the great Andy Warhol – and the equally great Antonio Lopez. Both superstar illustrators back in the sixties, seventies and beyond. Warhol and Lopez have passed on but their imagery has stood the test of time and will remain with us forever.

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Art Bag - 3

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Their images have inspired me to create this one of a kind original line of art bags. Once the image has been executed it will never be repeated again. I wanted the owner of the bag to feel they will have something special and exclusive to them. The personality of the owner merges with the artwork. Also, if the owner decides later they really would like to have the image adorn their walls – they only need to decide how they would like to frame it.

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Art Bag - 4

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The bags will be shown in several art festivals and events throughout the summer at a special price. From there, several stores will carry them in the fall.
If anyone would like to order a bag, they only need to contact me at: www.MikelElam.com.

Indigene 5

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Mikel Elam

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……….The last month has been quite interesting for me. I found people I have not seen in years and people have found me. The magic of Google and the Internet. A German art collector I met many years ago found me by way of my website: www.MikelElam.com and decided she wanted to buy a painting yet needed to see them in the raw. So she decided to fly to Philadelphia to visit me and to rediscover Philadelphia as she had been here many years ago. It was a glorious time showing her how our city has grown, and in the end she purchased not one but three paintings to become part of her vast collection.

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Facing West

Then came along a sale from my dealer in Puerto Vallarta entitled: “Facing West”. From there – a very successful and highly renowned audio documentary producer purchased two small works (“Chance” and “Indigene 5″) for his home in Seattle, Washington.

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Chance

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Life can be both fair, unpredictable and yes challenging. The hope which remains alive in me is knowing that things can change completely in a short amount of time. So keep hope alive.

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Provocation

To learn more about Mikel Elam’s work, log on to www.MikelElam.com

www.MikelElam.com

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Mikel Elam

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The image was created as a portrait of myself – a much younger Mikel Elam. I chose this image because now it feels like someone I hardly remember more than twenty years ago. I do recall how optimistic I was and remember how I thought the future would be bright. All of the issues of my early years would be erased. It didn’t happen. Many good things did happen for me, and I am extremely grateful to the powers that be. Many things also caught me by surprise. Some of my friends managed to succeed in the shake up, yet many more remained on the periphery of annihilation. Along comes Barack Obama: A young man using modern devices to communicate new ideas to a thirsty audience. When I merged those thoughts with the urban legend and the visual artistry of Shepard Fairey, The word “HOPE” was reborn.

Perfect timing. Many Americans need HOPE today. Life isn’t what we thought it would be. There are fewer jobs, a bleak future that includes only the rich and poor now. A nation extremely divided with no resolve in sight. The surprise was Barack Obama. A man of color in a sea of color blended Presidents. It seemed as though his speech on HOPE reached beyond our country and throughout the world. So many people want to HOPE for a better day – a better month and a greater lifetime. I know I do- so politics meets art. Someone came up with a wonderful idea to allow its user to take his or her own image, preferably a photograph and convert it into a “Hope” poster. So I took it one step further and took one of my paintings of myself as a young man hopeful for the future and emerged it with the powerful graphics called ”Hope”. Perhaps in some small way I still believe a better future is possible and if nothing else I got the chance to express it through the infinite power of art.

Anya

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Posted by Mikel Elam on November 12, 2010

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There is a nostalgic quality to this photo of James’s cousin Anya. She was a young aspiring model standing at almost six feet tall. Quite inexperienced in front of the camera at the time of the shoot, and yet somehow that lack of confidence was used to her advantage. James simply wrapped her in a lace cloth and well the rest is magic.

Damsel In Distress

The second photo reminds me of a movie still. Perhaps a damsel in distress and on the run. They both share a certain quality of the early photographers of the last century. James Vanderzee comes to mind.I have often wondered if James Rushing’s photographs were intermixed with photos of another time would I be able to discern the difference. He has always been an old soul and it reflects in his vision.

America

Posted by Mikel Elam on November 8, 2010

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………..There is a mystical quality to James Rushing. Like a shaman or a prophet. I have known James Rushing for most of my adult life. We met on Temple University’s campus and there was an instant connection. He is very intelligent and quite articulate in his executions of all things creative. He has a deep interest in the spirit world.

James has always walked to his own beat. His intellectual prowess is mind boggling . There has never been one subject we have ever discussed which he had not already discovered, dissected and in some ways solved . In short he is a deep thinker.

Stairway

He attended the Tyler School of Art with a split interest in Photography and Graphic Design. His photographs are mesmerizing sometimes lingering between a smokey dream like ephemera and reality. Early on he was using experimental cameras and techniques to push the film’s capabilities. Later he would also use more traditional cameras and somehow his vision and imagery remained intact.

Mask

James started shooting fashion photography after he graduated from school. He soon found many aspiring models knocking on his door for a chance to be his subject. He departed the fashion scene and moved back in the realm of fine arts photography . He entered a “Call For Entry” from the prestigious Graphis Magazine and his work was selected for their annual book of the best photographers of that year.

Doorway

We both became visual artist. He has inspired me greatly. At one point I was a subject in some of his earlier works. He transformed me. His work captures the metaphysical similar to entering a vortex and discovering something which challenges our logic. Full of symbolism and metaphor. Life has a way of taking all of us on a journey specific to our experiences sometimes challenging us to choose our priorities. Sometimes survival can cause us to lose our way.Literally denying us the very soul of our existence .

Apparition

James has taken a hiatus from his photography . He lost the will to create in a world where the biggest and the loudest are heard . This is a tribute to him in an effort to get him to return to his core. This is a story about a man who has a gift and should use it. I want him to trust in his abilities as a way to achieve the success which has been denied him up to this point. It will take some effort, yet I believe the universe will assist him. I really believe James ‘s soul and the essence of his work are like twins yearning to play together. My greatest hopes for James will be a realization of his talent and a return to a force which beckons him.

Third Eye

Through The Looking Glass

Posted By Mikel Elam on October 26, 2010

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……….Much of my imagery is about identity and most specifically the observations I encounter about race and perception.
“Through The Looking Glass” (A Parallel Universe) is about how people coexist and yet they have such strange ideas about each other. Even the most ordinary things .And now we live in a world warring over the difference between the Quran and the Bible. Whether one is evil and the other is not.Then it filters into the psyche of the people .So if one worships one over the other, then they must be either evil or good, right or wrong as a whole group.

A Parallel Universe

Add the first Black President with a Muslim name and we have even more missed perceptions that are often Inaccurate and emotionally driven. So I decided to start creating works which have evolved from my own roots, American Slavery. It has and will progress into images dealing with modern day subtleties, and not so muted expressions of hate power and war .This may be the greatest country in the world, as the notion has been spoon fed to us and yet we harvest some of the greatest and most deviant killers throughout history.

Provocation

There is a prediction in the Bible about the last days in time where people will war over religion. Although I am not saying I believe this personally, I have to question it. Hate crimes over a person’s identity . If one happens to look Middle Eastern they could be attacked and will certainly live under a suspicious eye. I have lived under a suspicious eye and I was born here.

Just a few days ago-yet another gay crime in New York City. Warring over Proposition 8.(Why should anyone care?), The FaceBook bullying crimes in the past month. Is Obama a Muslim?

Race And Perception

Did any of this exist in the Bush Administration? Yes. But not as passionate because a White president was less investigated by his every action. People of color are still not trusted by many. It exists in every White dominated society in the world. My work is expressed sometimes by the use of metaphor. I use metaphor in the same way poets and some writers approach words. It gives the work some verve and maybe a bit of humor. However, I think my message is fairly straight forward.

I am inspired by the artist Kara Walker. I am interested in revealing my inner thoughts, whether they are perceived to be correct or not. After all it’s my story and I will tell it as I see it. I like creating a kind of dreamscape around the work so it has a bit of allure purely as a visual image. Upon closer scrutiny one can see the elements of my truth intermixed with a bright colorful palette. Sometimes snakes are very alluring with their colorful skins and yet they can be very dangerous if one gets too close.

The Art Work Of Mikel Elam

Artwork By Mikel Elam

Posted By Mikel Elam

I am getting sick and tired of the blatant attempt to undermine Barack Obama’s intelligence and leadership abilities. Basically he walked into a problem created by the previous administration. Everyone now expects him to solve every problem within one and a half years. I think it’s unfair and I know many will not be able to understand this next statement. Some of it is racially motivated. Probably coming from many who don’t think they are racist. It’s like the comment ,”I am not a racist, some of my best friends are black or latino etc, and yet these “friends” really aren’t so much in their lives.
The art represents Obama in a box. The box is getting smaller and smaller trying to squeeze the life out of him. People are taking shots at him. In this case it’s the splatter from paint balls.(I hope nothing worse ever happens) They take shots at him like comparing him to Hitler and calling him a communist, socialist……the list goes on.

Invisible One

So many forget he is a black and white president and he represents the face of real America in the 21st century. Not the confederate flag waving, wishing it would go back to the old days of whites getting to sit and Blacks standing in the back of the bus mentality.
Yes this country is in financial trouble. I am in financial trouble. So in fact I represent someone who should be angry with the status quo. However I recognize where the problems started and no one seems to be holding that person and their administration accountable for past actions.
Its an unfair practice. A selfish act of aggression without thought. Again this reminds me of the times when a person of color opened their mouth only to have a gun placed there to shut them up. Make them disappear.

Invisible Two

Recently I created a series of portraits .Men of color from around the world. I have entitled the series “Invisible” based somewhat on Ralph Ellison’s great novel,”The Invisible Man” who writes about living in a society where we co-exist with others who want us to stay away unless they need us for servitude.
Obama is a reminder to everyone we are not going back to the days of the settling fathers. And thankfully he is very visible.