The Three-Piece: Gwendolyn Aqui-Brooks
Artists by the Numbers
Three works of art. Two minutes each. One artist.
The Three-Piece.
3… Three works. Straight outta the collections of Black Art In America comes three compelling pieces of art for this week, including Life Scene, On Our Special Day, and A Prince For All Seasons.
2… Two minutes. We encourage you to take at least two minutes to view each of these works, study them, and connect with them. See which ones speak to you, challenge you, and-or inspire you.
1… One artist. The artist behind today’s works is Gwendolyn Aqui-Brooks, who proudly proclaims, “Art is my life! I feel alive when I’m creating, whether it be an art quilt, painting, or doll.” The Florida-based artist specializes in mixed-media artwork including art quilts, soft sculpture dolls, paintings, and works on paper.
Aqui-Brooks received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in art education from Howard University and her Master of Arts in education from Trinity College. Much of Aqui-Brooks’ inspiration comes from traveling to colorful places like Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Italy, West Africa, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Her love for textiles began more than 20 years ago while living in Gambia. There, she discovered the richness of her ancestral spirits through the vivid colors and textures of local fabrics.
Aqui-Brooks’ quilts are vibrantly multihued, hand-sewn hybrids of patchwork, geometric abstraction, and narrative themes. She prefers to work without the use of sketches, but rather to begin her creative journey with a circle. Representations of figures, faces, plant forms, and symbols are merged in the quilts to produce dazzling compositions.
Okay, now that you’ve been briefed, we’re gonna hit ya with The Three-Piece:
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