Warren A. Goodson.
Artist Warren Goodson was born in Jersey City, NJ and spent most of his childhood drawing. I feel as though I was born drawing, having a natural inclination from an early age. Each time I sat down to draw I became engulfed with a euphoric feeling, the image came through as if guiding me and I went with the feeling. My parents were very supportive of my artist nature, allowing me to draw on everything, including my bedroom walls. My medium of choice was a standard No. 2 pencil, the only tool affordable and available to me, until I was introduced to pastels. That's when I fell in love with art and the possibilities it provided.
I worked in pastels for many years, but I also kept drawing in pencil. I had hundreds of sketches and drawings, until people began to ask for them. They seemed to have such an appreciation for my work that I gave most of it away. I tried charcoal and watercolor before I graduated to oil. My artwork was not revealed to the public until 2004.
As I mature, the more I begin to understand what drives my work - my appreciation for Black culture. I wanted to capture our greatness. We comprise different shades and sizes, come from different walks of life, yet share a common struggle outside our cultural landscape. I consider myself a documenter of that experience. I capture what is beyond the physical. I capture the emotion and expression of everyday people, from rural to urban. I am inspired to create art that expresses the people that are the backbone of our society. My people, Beautiful and Black!
