Lonnie Powell

I realize that my art is an experiment in a genre that most artists have forsaken for more ethereal pursuits and I have no problem with that. I do not believe that artists like Bearden, Vermeer, Charles White, and Rivera said all that needed to be said.  My art is the only part of me left uncompromised and it is my intention to keep it so. For this reason I have never made art my source of income. My art should never be referred to as work — like a saxophonist, I don’t work, I play. If my art ever becomes work it too will be compromised and I am sure I’ll not last long after that. My art is not a business or something done solely for competition, nor is it a hobby or a pastime — its much more than that. My art is something that I am compelled to do. It is my very life, it is my way of life — my religion.

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