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Minutes, September 24, 1978
Afri-Cobra 


-Guidelines for critiques: seven minutes for the artist to speak three minutes for responses. 

-Critique of Frank Smith's Work 

Frank is working with quilt-work paintings. He uses sewing thread, and embellishments to produce colorful compositions. 

One piece is entitled "Come Sunday" an Ellington tune. This was Frank's parents favorite song and he includes a portrait of his mother in the painting. 

The forms of concentric circles is noticed in the work. This pattern is linked to the Basonge type. He has super imposed the symbolic image of Charlie Parker over the design. 

Smith's works are designed not to have a top or bottom.

James Phillips and Donaldson agree that a rythmic embellishment would accent the paintings greatly. 

-Critique of Michael Harris' Work 

"I am working with raw canvas and trying to preserve the tapestry effect of my earlier work. I want these to look like they have been touched by the human hand rather than the total preciseness of before. A sense of depth and shimmer."

Michael shows three paintings, one entitled "Kalahari's Edge another "River Dust'. The work has a linear quality with tonal areas that seem absorbed into the canvas. Some are painted on animal skkins [[skins]].

Frank Smith is excited by the free form shape of the skin and wonders if dying can result in a different effect?

James Phillips suggest the need for more variance in color.

Frank Smith agrees that a texture would also add to the contrast. Painterlyness[[Painterliness]]-gloss against matte are some of the solutions.

Donaldson suggests added embellishment of areas to gain more contrasts. He also warns about repetition of registers in the works. There must be a link in the design motifs to hold them together. He senses a feeling of incompleteness. This could be partially solved by extending the motifs off the canvas. 

Stevens notices the background circle, a new appearance in Harris' work. he feels that the containment inherent in the circular form is struggling against the horizontality of the design. 

Donaldson commends Harris on his sense of color. 

Stevens suggests a half circle in place of the full circle to symbolize the sky and land connection. 

-Critique of Talibah Fennell's Work 

"T" shows a painting that she completed approximately six months ago. It evolved after not painting at all for one and a half years. She used it to experiment with different colors, textures and methods of working. The result is an amalgamation of styles that makes one very successful painting.