I was not born Of a curse, placed With venom upon An evil brother’s head. I was carried from the Cradle, Traversed continents, Against the skin Of the first Mother In whose blackness rested The hues of nations: The colors of cotton and of coal. Of sunflowers and of blood. verse by LeiCole bodyart & adornment by Nobella Creations ...

This a revisit of an old friend in the Garden Shakazz of AFROCHIC. Shakazz is an African born photographer who is now based in Paris. According to Shakazz, “My concept is called AFROCHIC and it’s all about Ebony photography, entirely dedicated to my people because KINGS and QUEENS are what we are. It’s black-owned business. I work with models, artists, singers and ordinary people. “Check out my work on www.afrochic.book.fr and if you wanna get in touch, hit me on facebook at AFROCHIC. If ever you decide to come to Paris and if you like my style, feel free to contact me for...

by Vincent You see his work and its stops you. Dead in your tracks its stops you. Michael Thompson’s colors are rich and vibrant; a tasty buffet of design for your eyes. Its worth a look but that not what stops you. There’s always a story in the design, elevating it to the highest forms of art. Its a 21st century Afrocentric aesthestic that provokes, entertains and inspires. It stops you because it takes you to a place that you haven’t been. Yet Michael says, “I use design as a visual language to educate, to fight injustice, and also a way to ignite conversation. This collection...

With the temperature steadily rising as we cruise into summer, it’s only natural that things get a little steamy around here.  But when I tell you that Black on Black Rhyme’s Take a Load Off Tuesday May 18th show was hot, I don’t just mean the soft humidity that coated my skin before I walked into Studio 281.  The Tallahassee troupe, Back Talk, was in the building, and so were a lot of other talented people. The packed house helped–you know it always gets a little warmer when black folks sit close together.   The faces become more familiar each time, the embraces more...

Emerald trinkets gracefully draped Violet’s shoulders, ears and wrist while Nobella added the final touches of the earthSista’s adornment; bright white dashes above her eyes. These captures were part of a series of images Nobella and I had been working on. We’ve been creating pictures of her jewelry and paintings for Nobella’s shows and website. And on the day of this shoot, when we had a couple of jewelry sets to capture, Violet was our muse. Violet is inspiration, pure and simple. Open, creative and sensible, the young, natural beauty is full of energy, vigor and optimism....

entry by Vincent When I first met Brian A. Childress, my initial impression was that of a pragmatic, technically astute Photographer. I had not noticed his artistic sensibility; not yet. He and I, along with a few other Photographers and Models would all get together and rent a studio. In my early days of professional shooting, it was an opportunity  to hone my craft through the sharing and learning of techniques with others. The more we shot together, the more impressed I became with the images Brian created; images, not “captures.” He doesn’t like it when I call them “captures.”...

In the early days of the Pangea’s Garden Project I was fortunate to discover the extraordinary works of Maxim Vakhovskiy. At the time i’d created several captures that would, later, find a home here and I was curious to know if anyone shared a vision of Afrocentric beauty and sensuality. Maxim was one of the first I found. Eastern Europe born, Maxim is a portrait photographer currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is “delighted to photograph interesting, natural, vintage-souled, humble, passionate, uninhibited, and free-spirited characters with richly whispering beauty....

a pictorial moment… these are few of the inspired captures from Tamara Natalie Madden (the Renaissance Woman) of the Garden’s newest EarthSista, NineEther. You can see the full set of images at PangeasGarden.com

a moment from a humble beginning… When I met ButtahFly she was doing this. Hustling her creativity on the street. And I saw it even then. A bright ball creative passion that would always find it outlet, always find it voice. Always hungry for an opportunity to express herself. I’ve never seen her stop. In the few short months that I’ve known her I’ve seen a mix of intuitive creativity and passionate expression that has not only inspired me but many others and still continues to do so. ButtahFly may well be on her way towards leaving a mark that will last through history. Yet...

Fabian “OccasionalSuperstar” Williams has a new line of paintings inspired by natural hair and the ladies that keep it the way it grow, unprocessed. A diverse creative with many talents, Fabian has been using the name Occasional Superstar since 2003. “Occasional Superstar is the brand under which I do my artwork,” Fabian explains. “Basically, it means that I’m just a regular dude who has extraordinary moments. In a broader sense, anyone can be an Occasional Superstar – me, you. Everybody has some Occasional Superstar inside them.” The Occasional...