Note: This exhibit has been archived, but giclée prints are still available.

As a poet and performer, Marva has created a spoken word piece that unites words and images. Suggestion: watch her video, then scroll to see the images, which are posted below in the order in which they appear in the video:

https://www.ayokaartstudios.com/

Marva Harris is a storyteller and poet with a background in theater who, in 2020, lost much – and gained much: a new career in the visual arts. As family members told her, “art is in our blood.”

For this exhibition, Marva has gathered together family members and deep friendships for a show that simultaneously celebrates Black History Month and takes a look back at 2020.

View Marva’s Artist Statement here. Supporting artists include Robert Harris, Antoine Smith, Irwin Harris, Rabia Khara, Jaime Glasser, Joy Smith, Tori Weston and Tasha Dawning.

2020
Marva Harris
16″x20″ Giclée prints available from original Acrylic and Tissue on Stretched Canvas
$150

A visceral reaction to the year 2020.

Colonization
Marva Harris
16″x20″ Giclée prints available from original Acrylic on Mixed Media Art Paper
$150

Brown people, White Colonizers, Red blood, Blue waves that carried us far from our Motherland.

Joy’s Future – Age Four
Antoine Smith
This photograph utilizes the Capitol building as a backdrop to this talented, creative and precious little Black girl as a commentary on where we are and where we need to go for this ailing America to see her future as brightly as her father does.
Antoine adds, “This photograph of my daughter at the age of four is a powerful reflection of the prayers I pray for my daughter to know how far she can go with God on her side.”

personica pandemica
Jaime Glasser
12×12 inches
Mixed Media
A reworked self portrait converted by the dichotomy of isolation and fear, in juxtaposition with the time to create and a new focus on what is essential.
For information about this piece, including pricing and about the artist, click through.

Compass
Marva Harris
16″x20″ Giclée prints available from original Wood, Acrylic and Metallic Paints on Stretched Canvas
$150

This piece was made with wood chips and paints and is a representation of a compass which could guide us through the dark spaces.

Wet Sandy Beaches
Marva Harris 
12″x12″ Giclée Prints available from original Acrylic and Metallic Paints on Canvas Board
$75

A part of Marva’s “Feel Me” Collection

Submerge
Marva Harris
12″x12″ Giclée Prints available from original Acrylic on Canvas Board: $75

I used a fluid pouring technique to capture the likeness of a flower submerged in water.

Inside the Wave
Marva Harris
12×12 inches
Metallic and Acrylic on Stretched Canvas, Framed
$200
From the perspective of inside a wave of emotion, look past it to the brightness of dry land.

Troubled Waters
Marva Harris
9×12 inches
Mixed Media on Art Paper, Framed
$175
This piece was inspired by the Gospel song “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”

Now or Later
Marva Harris
20×20 inches
Metallic Paint on Stretched Canvas
SOLD. Limited Giclée prints available, $100
This piece in bright pinks and green is a reminder of the sweetness of love and the memories that flood our mind now or later.

Ebb
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Acrylic/Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas
$480
This piece is about going with the flow, bending and not breaking.

Underwater
Joy Smith
Digital Art
This is a perspective piece of what it’s like underwater, hence the name.For information about this piece and about the artist, and for more of her work, please click through.

Umbrella Girl Dark
Joy Smith
Watercolor on Canvas
Giclée Prints Available
Representation of color and light in a dark world. For information about this piece and about the artist, and for more of her work, please click through.

Umbrella Girl Light
Joy Smith
Watercolor on Canvas
Giclée Prints Available
Representation of color and light in a dark world. For information about this piece and about the artist, and for more of her work, please click through.

After the Rain
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$480
This piece contains four pieces that all dealt with my relationship.

Vibe
Marva Harris
9×12 inches
Mixed Media on Art Paper, Framed
$175
I did a lot of of meditating in 2020. I had to set the vibe in my house to peace and tranquility for all the chaos that was ensuing in the world.

Foremost Thing
Marva Harris
Digital Photograph
Prints available $60
Taken at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona.

Frequency
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$480
This piece is an energy, a wavelength of mood, feeling and thought.

Praying
Robert Harris
Digital Photograph
On a walk through the park to my favorite tree I spotted a rare sight of a praying Mantis. Prayer is what is needed in these times!
For information about this piece and about the artist, and for further work by Robert Harris, click through.

Divine Essence – 1
Robert Harris
Digital Photograph
Essence: the essence of nature is God’s Divine landscape. Can you see it all around you?
For information about this piece and about the artist, and for further work by Robert Harris, click through.

Divine Essence – 2
Robert Harris
Digital Photograph
Essence: the essence of nature is God’s Divine landscape. Can you see it all around you?
For information about this piece and about the artist, and for further work by Robert Harris, click through.

Anxious
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$500
Softer, happier colors fade to the back as a frequency of anxiety covers the moment.

 

Broken Hero
Joy Smith
Digital Art
This piece represents a run-down hero, with weakened powers, ready to surrender. For more information on this piece and more art by Joy Smith, click through.

Don’t Slip Away
Marva Harris
8×8 inches
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
$100
For all those who lost their life due to Covid.

Persistence
9×12 inches
Acrylic on Mixed Media Paper, Framed
$175
This is another African kinte inspired pattern piece. Its color and pattern speak of hope and persistence.

Insomniac’s Delight
Marva Harris
12×12 inches
Acrylic and Metallic Paints on Mixed Media Art Paper, Framed
$200
This piece was painted after battling a night of insomnia.

Voluptuous Woman in Black
Tori Weston
13×17 inches
Lithograph on Dictionary Paper
For more information on this piece and more art by Tori Weston, click through.

Appropriating
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$480
This piece was inspired by popular culture’s appropriation of a Black woman’s style.

Skin Like Gold
Marva Harris
8×10 inches
Metallic Paints on Canvas Board, Framed
NFS
An appreciation of our skin tone.

A Brilliant Light
Marva Harris
12×12 inches
Metallic and Acrylic Paints on Stretched Canvas
SOLD. Giclée prints $70
This piece just felt good to paint, it exudes such warmth.

Mae’s Flowers – 1
Marva Harris
8×10 inches
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
Set of two, $300
This set of two paintings is inspired by the expression “giving someone their flowers”. Black women deserve their flowers. Breyonna deserved her flowers in life, not at her funeral.

Mae’s Flowers – 2
Marva Harris
8×10 inches
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
Set of two, $300
As with the painting above, Mae’s Flowers 2 is inspired by the expression “giving someone their flowers”. Black women deserve their flowers. Breyonna deserved her flowers in life, not at her funeral.

A Flower for Your Blues
Marva Harris 
8×8 inches
Oil on Canvas Board, Framed
$100
Rich blue oil paint and the run of a green paint in juxtaposition create a mysterious looking flower for your blues.

Fierce
Marva Harris
11×16 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$350
This piece is dedicated to the ever regal Diahann Carroll… Her perched lips say it all… Fierce!

Grace Jones in Stone Pink and Black
Tori Weston
9×11 inches
Lithograph
For information on this piece and on the artist, and for further work by Tori Weston, click through.

Queen Cicely
Marva Harris
24×40 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$900
This piece is dedicated to the incomparable Cicely Tyson. It is based on a photo of her but upon hearing of her passing I wanted to paint her. I gave her wings to symbolizing her ascension.

Reign
8×8 inches
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
$100
Surrounded by this African inspired print, the queen stands tall and proud.

Conditioning
Tasha Lindsay
36×36 inches
Oil on Canvas
For information on this piece and on the artist, click through.

Solid as a Rock
Marva Harris
9×16
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
$350
This picture was inspired by my parent’s love. I painted them in the color of cement or rock to signify the strength of their enduring love.

Rich History
Marva Harris
8×10 inches
Metallic and Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
$150
The hints of gold and blue culminate in a rich design which speaks of our culture.

Joy’s Afro
Joy Smith
Digital Art
This piece represents the creativity of black hair, making it bright and colorful. For more information about this work and the artist, please click through.

Ancestry
Marva Harris
16×20
Acrylic and Metallic Paints on Stretched Canvas
$480
Dedicated to my Cherokee Ancestry.

Possibilities
Irwin Harris
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
Describes the endless possibilities that exist when we allow our mind to contemplate deeply on spiritual, physical and mental things.

Warrior
Irwin Harris
Standing at the edge of an open plain, this warrior poises himself for what lies ahead.

Reach
8×10 inches
Acrylic on Canvas Board, Framed
$150
This piece is about looking upward and out of your current circumstances.

Roots
Robert Harris
Digital Photograph
This picture captures the root system of a tree and is reflective of my family and my culture.
For information about this piece and about the artist, and for further work by Robert Harris, click through.

Nose Not Under Construction
9×12 inches
Acrylic on Mixed Media Paper, Framed
$275
Rejects the Westernization of noses, eyes or any other feature that defines our beauty.

Phoenix
Marva Harris
8×10 inches
Acrylic and Metallic Paints on Canvas Board, Framed
$150
Bright colors against a black backdrop set the perfect scene for this Phoenix to rise.

Azure and Crimson
Rabia Khara
Digital Art
For more information on this piece and on the artist, and for further works by her, click through.

Suffocating Solitude
Rabia Khara
Digital Art
For more information on this piece and on the artist, and for further works by her, click through.

It has helped me to remain centered. 

Centered
Marva Harris
9×12 inches
Acrylic on Mixed Media Paper, Framed
This piece is a part of my “Frequency” series.

Change
Marva Harris
9×12 inches
Acrylic on Mixed Media Paper, Framed
SOLD. Giclée Prints Available, $70
This piece speaks of the emotion that is involved when we decide to “Change”.

5:45 am
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Watercolor on Stretched Canvas
I painted this piece after looking at the sunrise.

The Persistence of Light
Marva Harris
Digital Photograph
Prints available $60
This photo was taken from my bed one morning. It appeared that the light was breaking into my room with a force that would dispel the darkness.

Hope
Marva Harris
Digital Photograph
Prints Available $60
I like studying the impact of light on darkness.

Stronger Now
Marva Harris
16×20 inches
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$480

Forward Ever
Marva Harris
11×16
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
$400
Ribbons in her hair and troubles at her back, she is a representation of my self-talk.

Next, watch Marva speak her piece, surrounded by her images, in a ten-minute video that unites both words and images:

https://www.ayokaartstudios.com/i-know-why