I was inspired watching videos of Black Panther Party member and political activist Angela Davis, awed by her eloquence and intelligence. Not to mention she was sporting the largest afro I had seen at the time. My admiration for Dr. Angela Davis is what prompted the artist in me to create an original drawing of her, which I’ve made available in the form of a Tote Bag.
If you love Angela Davis and need a unique way to show your support during Black History Month or on any given day, this Angela Davis Tote Bag featuring my original drawing of the iconic leader may be what you are looking for. Various colors available. The Art of Qew.
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change, I am changing the things I can not accept.” – Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944).
I had the honor and privilege to direct another music video for performer, songwriter and vocal stylist Adria Shahid. This Qew Production music video featured actors Aaron Stewart and Ashanti Brown. When shooting a scene with the actors inside a mall in Columbus, Ohio we were approached by security who took issue with me using “professional equipment” to film inside the mall. Mind you I was filming this scene at a small table with a Nikon D5300 dslr and a 35mm prime lens, not an Arri Alexa! I am very thankful that I had a Plan B in mind just in case. The manager of a local restaurant permitted me to film inside with an agreement that the logo of the restaurant would not be used. To my guerrilla and indie filmmakers out there, always have a plan B!
View below to see the music video “Worthless LowDown” by Adria Shahid directed by Quatric.
All People Arts is a nonprofit organization in Columbus, Oh that seeks to engage and unite the people on the South Side of Columbus and beyond in expressing, creating and experiencing art. This year All People Arts hosted their first annual holiday party. I had the honor and privilege of creating this video for the organization after speaking with one of it’s board members who expressed the mission of the group and invited me to attend. Below is the video I created to capture the essence of the their event.
I feel an abundance of gratitude after completing my Nipsey Hussle tribute drawing. I was inspired to do this drawing after becoming aware of Nipsey’s story and legacy. As a featured visual artist at the Lincoln Theatre in Columbus, Ohio I chose to showcase my Nipsey Hussle and Malcolm X drawings at their 10th anniversary celebration of Backstage At The Lincoln. I posted my drawing of Nipsey to my Instagram account on the morning of the event, November 21, 2019. The next day I was graced with over 1300 likes and growing on this social media platform. I really appreciate the love that the Nipsey Hussle community of followers, friends and family have shown me. They have taken the time to like my drawing, share it, and encourage others to re-post etc, in a way that shows that the “Marathon Continues.”
I am very honored to have been awarded the Best Homegrown Short Film by the Columbus Black International Film Festival (CBIFF) 2019. My entry this year is called “Beyond Sleep.” It’s about an educator who travels home on break to visit family and arrives as a relative enters crisis. He’s bound for an awakening.”
Joe Twice is a talented Columbus, Ohio gospel rapper who presented me with an opportunity to direct his debut “Holy Water.” On two different occasions it rained on location while we were in the middle of shooting his video, this however we believe added to the theme. In this music video holy water is a reference to water in baptism.
I am honored that my short film “Cricket Assassin” was selected to be screened at the 2018 Columbus Black International Film Festival! I begin filming 5 weeks before the deadline and it was hard work to make it on time. Hard work has paid off!
It was an honor to draw and paint my tribute to Bro. Malcolm X (aka Malcolm Little, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz). I attempted to create art in his image twice before but was not satisfied until this rendition. I think for me one of the things I admire most about Malcolm X is he symbolized intelligence, and as a young black man this played a part in my also wanting to be intelligent.
His speech where he referenced the house negro and the field negro was my inspiration to create the drawing on the right below, as it was at a time where I felt I could discern this divide among our leaders . It features Stephen (Samuel L Jackson in Django Unchained) and the late black nationalist Khalid Muhammad.
A few of my favorite Malcolm X quotes:
“A wise man can play the part of a clown, but a clown can’t play the part of a wise man.”
Malcolm X
“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”
Malcolm X
“When you live in a poor neighborhood, you are living in an area where you have poor schools. When you have poor schools, you have poor teachers. When you have poor teachers, you get a poor education. When you get a poor education, you can only work in a poor-paying job. And that poor-paying job enables you to live again in a poor neighborhood. So, it’s a very vicious cycle.”
Malcolm X
“Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and thereby increase self-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was assassinated at 39 yrs young.
Born: May 19, 1925, Omaha, NE
Assassinated: February 21, 1965, New York City, NY
Adria Shahid is a performer, songwriter and vocal stylist who presented me with the opportunity to direct her debut “Waarrioress of Love.” In a coffee shop in the Short North area of Columbus, OH myself and Adria sat down to discuss her ideas and vision for her music video. From here I created the script for the video which she approved. What followed was an intense and joyful experience in guerrilla style film-making for most locations. A guest appearance on the keyboard was made by Mark Hampton, a gifted bassist and song writer. An added bonus was being able to film in J-Hot Fish, a black owned restaurant in the Linden area of Columbus, OH.
It was an honor to be present at the 1st ever Columbus Black International Film Festival (2017) in Columbus, Ohio. A variety of talent was on display among the filmmakers and the event had a informative workshop I was able to attend by the gifted Celia C. Peters, sci-fi writer and filmmaker. Overall the event was inspiring for a filmmaker such as myself and I look forward to contributing to the next round of submissions for the festival.
(Photo opps with Cristyn Steward, founder of Columbus Black International Film Festival, Celia Peters, writer and sci fi filmmaker and Keya Crenshaw, founder of Black Chick Media)
