A Love Letter to 5th Ward: In Mark Francis's series, You Are Art represents individuals from the 5th Ward community in mixed media drawings that use rich texture and smooth-blended monochromatic grayscale color pencil. Through this media, he creates a metaphor for the way Black life is similarly full of depth and complexity not always perceived in short interactions. The use of both 3D and 2D media gives a visual push-pull between the brain and the eye to create space, as though the subjects are there with you, as though you can feel the energy of the depicted human experiencing life at your side.
This coloring book allows you to create the work as you see it while visualizing the individuals as people and maybe even someone you know.
