Charisa Jacobs

 Charisa Dene’ Jacobs is a Black American artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma and the happy mother of three children. She has a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Science in Curriculum studies from Oklahoma State University. Dené has enjoyed the privilege of studying Impressionist Oil Painter Margaret Aycock from 2003 to 2007. For Dené, creating artwork is a form of self-expression and an act of love. Her artwork comes from a deep place in her heart. Dené primarily focuses her artwork in creating soulful oil portraits of both female and male forms. As a biracial Black Woman, she also finds self-expression in exploring Afrocentric themes in American society. Dene currently teaches art at McLain High School for Science and Technology.

I create oil portraits of female forms as an expression of liberty and personal identity. This freedom comes from a spiritual journey of new found love and acceptance in Christ which has directly impacted my well being as a woman. I feel freedom from years of experiencing shame in regards to self expression and my body. My heart is to present women in a state of soulful and peaceful connectedness with their body and emotions.  I first presented this theme in my series entitled Beloved which is inspired from The Song of Solomon in the Old Testament.

I continue this theme of sacred female empowerment through the Sanctuary and Feminine Energy series.

Another conceptual aspect of my art is my racial heritage. I enjoy creating historically based portraits of black women and men in eras of western civilization. It brings me joy to dismantle stereotypes of racial and national identity with historically inspired artwork. I first reflected this in my Black Victorians series.  I am presently developing a body of work inspired by the Black American cowboy.

In my process of creating a painting , I always begin with an underpainting in a pigment called burnt sienna. My under paintings are monochromatic drawings which feature a full rendering of the portrait before the addition of other colors. The burnt sienna color has an awakening effect. While I usually build layers of color to create a completed painting in full color, there are times I love the monochromatic version so much I decide to keep it at the stage. I also enjoy featuring the underpainting by allowing the drawing lines to remain visible even in the finished phase. I feel the lines create movement and balance. It’s something I find calming to the eye.