UPDATE on David Lester
2020 DOCUMENTARY FILM on David Lester
“In this video made by filmmaker Rami Katz, you’ll see David Lester take you through his intricate process of illustrating this notable protest and the challenge of depicting historic figures and events with contemporary urgency.” — CBCArts
Soon to be published! Prophet Against Slavery (Beacon Press, Nov. 2, 2021)
“David Lester’s raw, expressive visual approach perfectly delivers. Prophet Against Slavery is a crucial account of abolitionism’s religious framework, its courage and moral clarity often recast as sin or insanity, and the necessity of taking outside risks in pursuit of justice and equality.” —Nate Powell, National Book Award–winning artist of the March trilogy about US congressman John Lewis
UPDATE on Jean Smith
Kevin Chong interviewed me for a piece in the Tyee in May, 2020.
“Last year (2019), the New York Times name-dropped the legendary 1980s Vancouver duo Mecca Normal as an influence on the Riot Grrrl movement. Earlier in 2019, the critically acclaimed FX comedy Better Things featured the band’s feminist anthem “I Walk Alone” in an episode.
But street cred doesn’t pay the bills for Mecca Normal’s vocalist Jean Smith. To make a living, she turned to her skills as a painter. Since 2016, the multifaceted artist, who has also written two novels, has made a living selling her paintings on Facebook for US$100 a pop.
Her work consists primarily of portraits of women of varying skin tones and features, sometimes in hats and various accessories, like Elizabethan collars and scuba gear.” – Kevin Chong, The Tyee
In August of 2020, writer Nick Marino emailed me out of the blue asking if I’d tell him my story for a New York Times Magazine article.
New York Times Magazine online January 5, 2021
New York Times Magazine, January 10, 2021
In a column called Letter of Recommendation, writer Nick Marino delves into my history with Mecca Normal, my $100 USD paintings with a mention of the Free Artist Residency for Progressive Social Change.
“Unlike most portraits, especially the ones men tend to paint of women, these were not made to be looked upon. The subjects were equal partners in the looking. You stared at them and they stared back. Smith’s women seemed to have rich interior lives and sometimes wore uniforms to indicate what they were doing before you, the viewer, so rudely interrupted.” – Nick Marino, New York Times Magazine, January 10, 2021
CBC National Radio interview aired September 11, 2020 with the online story appearing the day before.
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