Artist Kaldric Deshow Dow answers questions about his art Feb. 6 in Moody. He said he doesn’t like painting people smiling because painting is a process that takes days and no one smiles for that long. Instead, he paints them in a natural state. He said his portraits are a way to combat the negative portrayals of African-Americans in the media. The art exhibit was part of Black History Month. Sergio Medina
The absence of darker skin tones in museums inspired the artist.
By Kelli Renae
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
An art exhibit for Black History Month opened Feb. 6 featuring Kaldric Deshon Dow, a Houston native known for his personable portraits and drawing inspiration from the masters, such as Picasso.
The main focus of his paintings are skin tones, he said. “You go to a museum and don’t see people like me.”
Museums are historically predominantly white, lacking the artistic talent of people of color.
This is what originally inspired Dow to paint people in the moment.
Dow went to UTSA to major in electrical engineering, but soon realized his passion was painting.
He uses fabric, black-on-black canvas and real individuals to capture raw emotion and manipulate light to capture the beauty of skin.
Joan Fabian, San Antonio College’s creative project technician, said, “He shows the beauty in human features with paint.”
Before his black-on-black series, Dow began with collage, assembling different pieces of work on one canvas.
Then he explored the realm of pop art, artistry based on popular culture and the mass media.
Dow gave one piece of advice for exploring art: “Find a mentor, show your work and don’t hide it.”
“Let This Be My Sunshine” art exhibit runs through Feb. 29.
