Rae Louise Hayward was introduced to African art in 1970 as a senior at Cal State Northridge College, where she became fascinated by the beauty of the highly stylized and intricately detailed art of Africa. In 1975, she traveled to Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal in West Africa to further explore the art she had studied in college. That one month excursion proved to be one of the most inspiring experiences of her life. The colorful landscapes, the people, the clothing, the food, the marketplaces and the music remain in her mind. Those memorable images will always be reflected in her art.
Although Ms. Hayward graduated from Cal State Northridge with a degree in art in 1971, she did not begin to create art again until 1990. She entered her first show and sold her first painting in December, 1993, at the Center for Visual Arts "Gift of Life" art auction in Oakland, California.
Ms. Hayward's art celebrates the beauty of the African culture: its people, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and music. She incorporates a number of African motifs into her art using various media, including acrylics, watercolors, collage, oil pastels, ink, colored pencils and mixed media. Ms. Hayward is inspired by master African-American artists Samella Lewis, Elizabeth Cattlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Faith Ringgold, Phoebe Beasley, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Claude Clark Sr., Horace Pippin, Ellis Wilson and Aaron Douglas, as well as by European artists Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Edvard Munch and Paul Klee.
In 1997, Ms. Hayward co-founded "The Art of Living Black, Bay Area Black Artists Annual Exhibition and Art Tour" with the late Jan Hart-Schuyers, artist and arts advocate. The purpose of the annual show is to provide a venue for artists of African descent to display their art and share the Black experience through the arts.
|
highlights
african american
local heroes
radio
about KQED
