MELVIN W. CLARK
I was born 1944 in Detroit, Michigan. I was raised in a nurturing environment with four siblings and both parents. My father worked hard to care for his family. My mother maintained the home front and helped to prepare my siblings and me for schooling. I can remember being able to copy the comics from newspapers at a very early age. Since I also did well in math and the sciences, my early ability to draw was appreciated but not overly encouraged.
I must have stopped drawing altogether by the time I was 11 or 12. My baby sister did all my class work drawing while I was in high school. I can’t recall exactly why I discontinued drawing. I would not make any attempt at art again until I had reached the age of 28.
I began to draw again in or around 1971. All of those early artistic excursions were done in graphite. I recall having major difficulty making the move from black and white to color and materials that produce color. I sought out free classes that were available in the community. These classes provided me with encouragement and the opportunity to develop a portfolio that would earn a scholarship to The "Center for Creative Studies".
Influences during this period were varied. I liked the work of the “Post Impressionist”. I especially developed strong admiration for Van Gogh’s drawings. I was impressed by his strength. The German Expressionist work was also of great interest to me. The distortion to enhance expression was awesome. Other influences included Charles White, John Biggers, The Mexican Muralist {Diego Rivera, Arozco, Alfaro Siqueiros and later Tamayo} and the traditional art of Africa, Central and South America, Native America and Oceania.
In 1986 I received a fellowship to do my first woodcuts at the prestigious Printmakers Workshop, NYC. Later that year I made the move from Detroit to New York City. In New York, I was able to see live, all the living legends of Jazz. In 1988 I received a New York State Council on the Arts – Artist – in – Residence - Lower East Side Printshop, New York City.
I mentioned earlier my live music experiences in New York, because they had an effect on my art work. I often use musical themes in my art. The energy of live musical performances is what I strive to capture in my compositions. I vibrate the shadow imagery of my compositions and infuse them with streams of color and energy. I also combine musical imagery with the Still Life motif. I see these works as statements of our need for both physical and spiritual food.
In 1996 I moved to the Pocono Mountains. I am now away from the everyday hustle and bustle of the big city. However, I am still close enough to replenish my spirit with a good helping of live music when it’s needed. I continue to exhibit my work worldwide.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2009 Melvin Clark: A Career Survey Of Paintings And Prints - South Shore Arts- Center for Visual
and Performing Arts, Munster, Indiana
2008 National Black Fine arts show - New York, Lusenhop fine Arts - Chicago,
Black Fine Arts Show - Atlanta
2007 African American Fine Arts Show - Chicago
2005 Fine Art at the RiverFront - Wilmington Delaware
2004 Phillips Fine Art – Evanston, Illinois
2000 MoCADA – Museum of Contemporary African Diasporic Arts, Brooklyn, NY
1999 Ayo Exhibit – Newark, NJ -1998 East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA
1997 Dell Pryor Galleries – Detroit Michigan, Color Lines and Objects – Baltimore, Maryland - Artisan Gallery, Stroudsburg, PA
1996 The British Jazz Awards – London, England - Art Expo – New York, NY - The Hurt Gallery, Nottingham, England
1995 The Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, Illinois - Charity Art Exhibit/Earthquake Relief – Osaka, Japan - The Modern African Arts Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Metropolis Gallery – Baltimore, Maryland
1994 Snug Harbor Cultural Center – Staten Island, NY
1993 North Sea Jazz Festival – Den Haag, The Netherlands - Gallery New Morning – Paris, France - Rotunda gallery – Brooklyn, NY
1992 Gallery 41 – Stockholm, Sweden - Gallery Pocketboger – Copenhagen, Denmark
1991 The Modern African Art Gallery – Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Crossing over/Changing Places – The Arts America Program
AWARDS:
1994 Best of Show – Black Creativity Juried Exhibition, The Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, Illinois
1988 New York State Council on the Arts Artist – in – Residence, Lower East Side Printshop, New York City
1986 Artist Fellowship, The Printmakers Workshop, New York City
COMMISSIONS:
1998 Mural Commission – New Jersey Transit – Penn Station, Newark, New Jersey
1997 Poster Commission – The Mississippi Delta Blues Festival, Greenville, Mississippi
1996 Poster Commission – The Birmingham International Jazz Festival – Birmingham, England 1994 Poster Commission – AMA’R Blues Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
1993 NYC School Construction Authority Mural Project – NYC Percent for Arts
COLLECTIONS:
The Museum of Modern Art, New York City
The Modern African Arts Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Printmakers Workshop, New York City - The Lower East Side Printshop, New York City
The Detroit Board of Education, Detroit, Michigan - The Pehl Collection, Eldersburg, Maryland
EDUCATION
1986 The Printmakers Workshop
1973-75 The Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI