Baruti Tucker, Augusta, Georgia
Member Since February 2012
Artist Statement Making art is the clearest way I know to communicate. My work is inspired by human forms, elements (earth, air, water, fire), nature, sweeping landscapes, jazz, comic books, my children, my dreams, fears, frustrations, spirituality, and the Hue-man experience. It is my belief that all things are connected and I cannot separate them in my mind, my spirit, or in my art.
I begin my work by journaling. Through my uncensored thoughts, I take note of themes and recurring concepts. From there, I begin to collect references that help me to visually piece it all together, sort of like making a story board in film. I carry my sketchbook and ink pen with me everywhere. Once I am ready to create, on canvas I begin with the foundation, beginning with the big picture and moving onto the details. I paint only with my hands, using a technique I have termed as “Ahfingah”. The brush, to me, is a foreign object that separates me from the art. When I use my fingers, I am reminded that the original people of the earth used their fingers to paint and tell their stories to the world. I feel directly connected to the universe through my art.
My work is organized into themes and series. When the work is going well, I am filled with a sense of responsibility to bring the piece into fruition. I know a work is complete when I can envision a series based on the piece. It is my hope that the work inspires a sense of community, conversation, and a charge to heal the self and heal the earth.
My technique is an exploration of painting with "fingers". A technique I call Ahfingah. Ahfingah is meditative, controlled breathing, concentrated circular motion of the fingers while using paint to define light and dark shapes with colors that vibrate. Through Art We Learn. Through Art I Build.
I am a native Staten Island, New Yorker and have been in the artistic arena since age 12 when I began drawing comic book characters with a childhood friend. I later moved from New York to Panama City Florida where upon graduating from high school I enrolled into Haney Institute to study art illustration and upon graduation worked for L & H Greeting Cards doing
illustration. I later returned to NYC to attend Fashion Institute of Technology
(FIT). It was at that time that I began to see my talents as a means of sharing GOD's gift with others. Currently I teach visual arts throughout the community at C.H. Terrell Academy, The Art Factory/Kroc Center and Jessye Norman School of the Arts, all in Augusta, Georgia. Affectionately called Brother B by many of my colleagues, students, friends and family, I not only have a passion for art;I am also committed to working with the youth. I am the the founder of Brother2Brother, a mentoring program that captures the minds and spirit of young men in the community. I reside in Augusta,
Georgia and am the Father of three beautiful children, Tahirah, Song and Sol.
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