Meet Brooks Fletcher.
Brooks is a photographer and visual artist based in Oakland, California. After receiving a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Sacramento, he served 11 years on active duty in the US Army as a photojournalist, specialized in public affairs and strategic and mass communication.
Following his military service, the Oakland-native earned an MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Brooks uses color reversal film and backlit frames to examine the nature of photographs, the lived experience, and the medium’s capacity to challenge attitude and perception.
The result is a philosophically-charged body of work that not only extends an alternate approach toward photography in an age of digital reproduction but showcases the importance and relevance of photographic education in modern society.
To learn more about Brooks please visit his website
Meet Raymond L. Haywood.
Raymond is a Painter and Printmaker born in Berkeley California. His studio is in the Hangar complex at the historic American Steel studios in West Oakland.
Raymond received his BFA from the University of California at San Diego and his MFA from San Francisco State University. He has over a decade of teaching experience from high school to community college.
Raymond has taught acrylic painting, silkscreen printing, art history, theater set design and construction, drawing and textile design. He is also an accomplished journeyman carpenter and construction manager with Cerami Builders in Berkeley California.
Raymond is known for his abstract mixed-media paintings that often include paper collage elements, stenciled images and found text with sociopolitical undertones. His recent work is exploring aspects of the African Diaspora through the use of cowrie shells floating in abstract expressionist landscapes and seascapes.
Abstract expressionism and Action painting are painting process that nourish Raymond’s desire to invite viewers into his singular world view. Vibrant color and depth are trademark aspects of his compositions. His paintings evoke ethereal landscapes as well as memories of distinct destinations.
To learn more about Raymond please visit his website