About me: My name is Athlone Clarke and I was born in Jamaica in 1956. I immigrated to the United States in 1985 and have since been involved in the local art movement on various levels. During the mid 80's I made my living as a published free-lance writer. I also painted during this period and took part in several south eastern shows. In the years that followed my writing established a relationship with my visual work and eventually gave birth to a colorful, mixed media off-spring. My work is commonly described as conversational, documental, interactive and even confrontational. The latter description comes from the fact that I have never backed away from the interpreting lightening rod issues such as race, gender, civil rights, politics and even religion. Nonetheless, I strive to make my work truthful, relevant, inclusive, educational, and uplifting.
I'm a strong believer that great art should not be accessible to just the powerful, the rich, and the intellectual elite, but also to the ordinary blue collar person who may crave the enrichment that art is known to provide. The language of art does not always have to be cloaked in professorial codes that are cleverly hidden in intimidating abstractions, nor does it always have to be safe and comfortable. I thrive on experimentation and am a firm believer that there is no “have to” in art. I believe that my work should be capable of provoking emotions, positive or not, and that cold indifference is poison.
My mixed media journey allows for a rich amalgam of found objects that seem to have chosen me to interpret their stories, in as much as I have chosen them. Hopefully, my work will stand on it’s own, and consequently, more eloquent than anything else I could say about myself. Thank you for your interest in the work.
One Love
I would like to ask you if you would be interested in doing a show in October in Camden at the Revolutionary Park. It will be a folk art/outsider art show..first one! I would like to do it along with the down home blues festival that takes place in Camden at that time. The historical society will promote us with advertising and all. I am going to see the head today and discuss it. So, if you have any feedback for me, let me know. Please let others know and have them email me with feedback, if possible. Thanks again, Cheryl:)
hi athlone, just thinking about you hope you had a wonderfull fathers day . tell the family hello . really dig your new work and the statements made, take care brother, fred
you need to change your layout,it looks boring! I found this cool new site with THOUSANDS of FREE layouts, they even have FLASH ones. The best part is, you can even update your layout AUTOMATICALLY! You gotta check it out, give your profile a face lift!It's all here
Just letting you know that the deadline has been extended for festival applications. I think your work would make an interesting addition to the event.
How's it going Athlone? Hope your sales are going well and you continue creating your wonderful art for the rest of us to admire and appreciate. Have you been doing well? Tell Alice I said "hi" too.
I made Athlone a folk art dress.Now stop laughing and check out my folk art dresses in my pics. section. Paul also put it on the Whoha page for WhoStyle.Love you guys Kim
