Tinted Ravens

About the Book

The collection of paintings included in the Tinted Ravens grew out of my personal experiences, my worldwide travels, and my lifetime belief in the power of art as a tool to bring beauty, harmony, and tranquility into our lives. The purpose of this publication is to inspire viewers to engage in multidimensional conversations that enrich their aesthetic sensibilities, recharge their creative batteries, and strengthen every area of their lives. I sincerely believe that when we give ourselves to art with genuine openness, a full circle of feelings enriches our personalities and nourishes the very roots of our being; that art moves us closer to reflecting on our own inner lives. When I prepare to paint a subject, I focus on a precise point of interest, seeking that secret place where all truth dwells. To be knowledgeable, understanding, and appreciative of the world around us is essential. Hence, I am always in quest of an image story—a narrative to express on canvas. The anecdote in the subject of interest might be explicit, concealed, or inexplicable. According to Annette Simmons, “To live in this world with purpose and meaning, we must tell ourselves some story of vision that gives our struggle meaning.” As an African American woman, many of the paintings highlight the black experience in America. Some depict animals, flowers, landscapes, and nonobjective objects. Other images in this publication feature people of different lifestyles with whom I have shared moments of tenderness, laughter, tears, and hope. Included as well is an array of quotes, affirmations, reflections, poems, inspirational pathways, and opinion pieces. Hopefully, viewers will study these paintings, and read the collection of inspirational messages with intensity and passion. Feasibly, they will set off on a soul-searching mission ready to use every aspect of their humanity to fully express their creativity while believing, as I do, in art’s spiritual and healing potential. The power of beauty cannot be ignored.

About the Author

Dr. Venetta B. Whitaker is a celebrated artist with a B.S. Decree (Bachelor of Science) in Education from Western Reserve University, and a Fine Arts Degree from The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. Her Ph.D. is in Administration from The University of California at Los Angeles. In addition, she is a published author, life-long educator, professional storyteller, and art therapist. Whitaker retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District as an assistant superintendent. Her extensive service in education—kindergarten through twelfth grades and beyond— includes secondary classroom teacher, elementary principal, curriculum coordinator, special education administrator, and professorships at the University of California, Los Angeles; University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; Lincoln University, Jefferson City Missouri; and, The Aga Khan University, Karachi Pakistan. She has traveled worldwide working in refugee camps with troubled and traumatized children in war-torn countries (e.g., Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Palestine, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey), among others. Whitaker has one daughter, Venetta Rowles, who is a high school educator in Clark County School District. They both live in Las Vegas, Nevada.