ABSTRACT REPRESENTATIONS
OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTIST

Lula Mae Blocton is an African American Artist and Painter. Color is her passion. What she has been dealing with is the quality of color,  looking at it and perceiving it as transparent. Throughout her career she has tried to identify herself through the  use of color relationships and structure. Her work can be seen as specific stages of developing towards these goals. Lulas’ early work consisted of overlapping geometric patterns creating transparent combinations of color, much like weaving cloth to create a pattern.

Her other interest is with varying dimensions of structure, consisting of clear overlaying bands reflecting light. With this concept she started to use abstract and recognizable patterns on black and white primed linen, creating variations of transparent colors. Her drawings explore  two directions concerning self-portraiture, one naturalistic and the other abstract. Through naturalism, she identifies herself through symbols within the images. The abstract drawings identify Lula through pure color and structure. Her paintings require a different physical involvement and timeframe than her drawings.