Picturing the South isn’t hard to do….just close your eyes and feel the breeze on your cheeks.
Tag Archives: #Gullah #GullahArt #Geechee #Art # Southcarolina #Georgia #Lowcountry.
Picturing The South {Hilton Head Island}
Picturing The South
Photography work around the Savannah Tybee areas of Ga.
Picturing the South
Some recent photography work from Savannah and Tybee Island area.
Teaching Art: A Lesson in American Subcultures
Today, I found myself teaching an impromptu art class and also furthering the cultural knowledge of a group of children. These little ones have never before heard the Cajun tall tales, nor the Gullah Tales, nor the Tales of the Gypsies and had no idea such subcultures existed here in the United States. This is why I paint, this is why I visit, and why I teach. I myself, being a blend of more than 3 cultures, ethnicities and races, believe it is important to preserve the heritages of these lesser known people groups.
My family, we are Melunge (a.k.a. Melungeon), is a blend of Romany Gypsy, European, African (and they say, but I sincerely doubt this particular portion at times- also American Indian). Of this ethnic and racial blend the Gypsy and the African heritage (gained from freed or escaped slaves) were, for a while, the unspeakable portions of our lineage. My family surname (we hail from the Newmans Ridge area of Tennessee) actually appears on this 1943 list of colored people masquerading as white in Virginia, where my family then lived. To escape the stigma of being a “free person of color” (oftentimes Gypsies were referred to as such) or the stigma of being a “person of color”, they adopted the story that they were “white” . They did in fact masquerade themselves as what they were not entirely and in the process of doing so, through assimilation to the surrounding cultures, our cultures were nearly lost with only bits and pieces of curious “old wives tales” and superstitions remaining.
So few people today know their family history or geneaologies, so few know the rich cultural backgrounds from which they are descended, and because of this we must continue the work of researching, teaching, and depicting them in forms of art and literature.
Matting and Framing Underway for “Gullah Legends” Collection
A busy day traveling far and wide to gather just the right bits and pieces with which to mat and frame the newest works. I found myself late this evening in Tennesee searching out a specific frame, no luck. Tomorrow, I will yet again be on the trail of the perfect frame for a larger piece I am working on. If you’re interested in hosting a private show, or if you’re a gallery interested in hosting a show please feel free to email sisterindigoart@gmail.com. I find that I am more in demand as of late for commissioned works and am often a few days in replying to emails, so do not fret if it takes as many as 4-5 days before you receive a reply.
All Images Copyright Sister Indigo- All Rights Reserved
Doc Buzzard’s Boat
“Doc Buzzard’s Boat”
Medium: Watercolour
Copyright Sister Indigo- All Rights Reserved
Gullah legend has it that there was an old voodoo conjurer who gave the evil eye to a group of men leaving for a fishing trip. The men had such great success at fishing that they loaded all the fish into one boat and the men into the another boat. A great storm arose and the boat carrying the men was lost at sea never to be found. A day later, the boat carrying the fish floated to shore, with a buzzard sitting upon it. The Gullah immediately knew that this had been the work of Doc Buzzard.
Completed Works- Sold
Completed Works
Photographs of new works and works in progress. Copyright- Sister Indigo, All Rights Reserved
Sister Indigo Art 