Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-26-17

Features
Sean Young: His Unique Art Technique Sets Him Apart
Singers Featured At
Oct. 6 Middleton-
Blake Game
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
When looking at the artwork of Sean Young, it’s likely you’ll start hearing music.
That’s because the Los Angeles native’s expressive portraits fea- ture jazz greats like Ella Fitzger- ald, Charlie Mingus, and Theolonious Monk.
Hip-hop greats like, Mos Def, Outkast, and Questlove have also received Young’s signature treatment of sharp lines, muted colors, and piercing gazes.
But it’s the shadows that shade the subjects that make Young’s paintings from pictures most in- triguing.
“A shadow can give us forms of expression of what that person is trying to convey when that picture was taken,” he said.
Young’s artistic background is rooted in graphic design.
A graduate of Brooks College in Long Beach, Calif., Young started selling his artwork through real estate companies for which he worked.
The companies would use the paintings to stage homes for sale. When buyers made offers on the house, they wanted the paintings, too, he said.
Young said he’s been drawing since the age of two, but didn’t think of himself as an artist until his wife, Holly, began encourag- ing him to create and sell his paintings on his own.
Now, prints of Young’s self- described “pop art with layers” is available for purchase on his web- site and original works are being featured at art shows around the city.
Young said his technique – a mix of digital art and “an old school way” – makes his artwork outstanding from his past hand paintings.
It’s also less time consuming.
“The last (hand painting) took eight and a half months,” he said. “That was the last time I did hand painting.”
Portraits begin with a “strong photograph” of a musician cap- tured in a poignant pose or at a important time of their life.
For example, Young said his portrait of hip-hop artist and Wu- Tang Clan member, RZA was based on a photo of the rapper at a critical time when his own career was on the rise right as the band was at the height of its popularity.
Young said he’s just now get- ting a handle on his technique, which involves a combination of photography, spray painting, and drawing.
“I had to learn what I didn’t know,” he said. “Cutting boards, X-ACTO knives – I really had to teach myself.”
Young said he’s working on his next collection of work which will step away from celebrities and focus more on ordinary people in every day settings. A show for De- cember is in the planning stages, he said.
In the meantime, Young said he’s working to get his artwork featured in art shops and home décor businesses in the Tampa Bay area.
“Things are starting to fall into place,” he said. “I believe this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
To learn more about artist Sean Young, visit www.awby.myshopify.com.
SEAN YOUNG
both Middleton and Blake are
Legacy Schools.
Middleton High School opened in 1934 and Blake High School opened in 1956, replacing Don Thompson High School, which opened in 1945.
These two schools educated African American students in Hillsborough County during seg- regation.
Both schools were closed at the end of the 1970-1971 school year and re-opened as junior high schools.
During the pre-game festivi- ties, Mayor Buckhorn and Ms. Shamburger will present Dr. Kim Moore, Principal of Mid- dleton and Jesse Salters, Princi- pal of Blake with the Legacy Schools proclamations. Alumni from both schools will take part in the ceremony at mid-field.
And, those in attendance will not be disappointed because the schools will follow tradition and both marching bands will provide an exciting halftime show.
The football game will begin at 7:30 p.m., matching teams that both won their first two regular season games: Middleton defeated King 47-0 and Alonso 27-6, while Blake beat Lennard 14-6 and Wharton 12-0.
Middleton’s Tigers lead the se- ries with Blake 9-6, but Blake’s Yellow Jackets won last year’s game 37-0, setting up a grudge match this year.
For decades, members of the community waited anxiously for the annual football game between the two African American high schools in Hillsborough County. In good-natured fun, the rivalry oftentimes divided families on game night as alumni members rooted for their respective schools.
In keeping with that tradition, once again the supporters are choosing sides as the Middleton High School Tigers prepare to host the Howard W. Blake Yellow Jack- ets.
The organizers have planned an exciting pre-game show that features two local performers, and a special presentation.
Willie “Popsie” Walker and Ms. Janice Nunn Nelson are two of Tampa’s most noted singers. Both will perform during the pre-game activities. And, in keeping with the rivalry, Walker is a Yellow Jacket and Ms. Nunn Nelson is a Tiger.
Both singers will entertain those in attendance at the pre- game ceremonies for the upcom- ing game. It will take place beginning at 6;45 p.m., at Middle- ton’s Abe Brown Stadium, Friday October 6, 2017.
The annual clash between the Yellow Jackets and the Tigers will follow. The rivalry between the two schools began decades ago. It was one of the annual community events that drew entire families.
In many instances, grandpar- ents, parents, and students had all attended the schools. Throughout the years, representatives from each generation who attended both schools have been on hand to keep the school spirit alive and the rivalry strong.
Tickets for the game go on sale at both schools soon.
In addition to the musical se- lections, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Ms. Tammy Shamburger, Hillsborough County School Board District 5 Representative will proclaim that
WILLIE “POPSIE” WALKER
JANICE NUNN NELSON
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