My Inspiration behind Monalisa’s Journal 

             Art, to me, is more than just my talent or a gift. First and foremost, it is a calling from God. It became my first love when boys wouldn’t go out on a date with me. It is my way of communicating to the public when I don’t speak verbally to them.  Art is a journal (or diary), a mirror reflecting on my life as an African-American woman, a person with mental and physical challenges, and an artist. Monalisa Noir is my alter ego. Monalisa was taken from one of DaVinci’s famous paintings from the Italian Renaissance. Noir is a French word for black, one of the languages spoken in parts of Africa.  

       My early childhood to adolescence was filled with teasing, bullying, self-hatred and loneliness. Twelve was the number of years of surgery I had on my arms almost every summer. No, my hands were not a burden to me; these are the instruments I use to create my world: a “reality” series. Art is also a great release therapy. Being young and trying to fit in the crowd while working so hard and being true to myself took a toll on me when I was hit rock bottom with depression. While sketching in the hospital, I learned to let go of the bad memories that plagued me from childhood to adulthood and to move forward with my healing process.      

  Back then, art was a way to entertain myself when so-called friends left me behind. Cartoons, TV shows (Disney, Nickelodeon, and Channel 8, etc.) and kindergarten teachers help stirred up my imagination and taught me the basics of art. I have love drawing every since my elementary school days. To this day, drawing was, is and always will be my ultimate medium. My other visual expressions are painting and printmaking. I think exploring these mediums gives my portfolio an interesting balance. My love for art grows deeper every time I start a project. There will be more series of drawings, prints and paintings from life and memoirs. I communicate visually with ebony pencils, conte’ crayons, charcoal, ink, encaustic paints, gouache and acrylics.

  John Biggers, Charles White, Tom Feelings, Norman Rockwell, Italian Renaissance and the Harlem Renaissance have influenced me to maintain excellence in the techniques of detailing, rendering, volume, shading and dematerialization. 

an autobiography of Gretchin Morris is coming soon!