Check it out, If you dont know now you know. This is a video to promote the childrens book i illustrated, "Mama Got Rhythm and Daddy Got Rhyme".

Go to your local bookstore and request the book if they do not have it already. Thank you people much love.

Here is the finish


Hello all, this is a piece that I am working on for the artprize competition in Grand Rapids. It is the first year of the competition and it is the worlds largest prize competition. People have been referring to it as an American Idol type of competition. First place is 250000 dollars and man that would be so lovely if it landed in my lap. You can check out the competition and my profile on artprize.org. Its a voting competition but the only thing is you have to be on location to register to vote, which sucks.

This piece that I am working on focuses on the lives and families of inner city people. The mother is in agany because she sees a police officer that is approaching her porch. I really wanted to leave it to the viewer to decide what has happened, so the policemen could be backing up from telling her some bad news. Essentially she has found out that her son has been killed and her brother , friend, husband, or cousin is holding her for comfort. The reason I have so many options for the man in the image is because everyones living conditions are different. She could be living in a home with alot of relatives and he is there for the news.

I will post the finish soon, be on the look out.

This is a painting I am currently working on its almost finished. It is a story from the bible about a concubine that gets ravished. When you read the story you will find that the owner of the home just surrenders his woman without even hesitating. It was a really fascinating story so I had to do a painting.

Judges 19:22

"While they were celebrating, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows surrounded the house, pounding the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him." Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my fellows, please do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not commit this act of folly. Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please let me bring them out that you may ravish them and do to them whatever you wish. But do not commit such an act of folly against this man." But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them; and they raped her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at approach of dawn. As the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man's house where her master was, until full daylight.
When her master arose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, then behold, his concubine was lying at the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Get up and let us go," but there was no answer. Then he placed her on the donkey; and the man arose and went to his home. When he entered his house, he took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. All who saw it said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up!"



So yeah the story really shows how men saw women as objects and things that were disposable.
The finished piece coming soon.

Ellen Kayrod Gallery

This is an annual invitational exhibit that features the work of artists of all ages who are active members of the Detroit art community. Participants in this year’s Intergenerational Community Exhibition are:

Christine Bossler, Barbara Dorchen, Jerome Ferretti, Ray Katz, Emily Linn, Nicole MacDonald, Mario Moore, Sabrina Nelson, SiouxTrujillo, and Anahli Vazquez. The artists range from the young and emerging to the established veterans, and their work includes body ornament, paintings, sculpture, installation, assemblage, collage, drawings and photography.

The show had a nice turn out and there were many people that came to the show who enjoyed my work. You know now its just a matter of getting my artwork beyond Michigan.

By the way the show is still up so go and check it out people, I believe it will remain up until November folks.

CHILDREN'S BOOK RELEASE

This is the cover for the new children's book that is being released on the 28th of June at the Ford center for performing arts in Dearborn. The author(Robin Morris) and I will be signing the books and a reading will also take place on this day. This was a laborious process for the children's book. So please come out and support me. The time for the signing is from 4-6pm, books will be available for sale.

The children's book is about an African American family in Harlem New York. The daughter of the parents ,Mama Rhythm and Daddy Rhyme, likes R&B but does not understand why here parents like jazz and blues. The parents take there daughter on a trip to the Jazz museum at Lincoln Center and the daughter falls in love with the music as she meets Dizzy, Duke and many other Jazz greats.

So this is the cover that i have been working on for an author in chicago who new book coming out is  "Know Thyself for success: Empowering African Americans through Self-Knowledge". I think this image will grab peoples attention what about you?

This is an old piece but i wanted to look back because i graduated from college on thursday. Yes i am an official CCS ALUMNI! CONGRADULATIONS TO ALL MY PEERS.