'Voting Is On My Heart and Mind': William H. Clarke’s New Series Captures Why We Should Vote
William H. Clarke, The Struggle for Freedom, 2018
The images in William H. Clarke’s new series, The Struggle for Freedom, are heartbreaking but real. Clarke’s art portrays the peace and the horror of women and black men fighting for the right to vote in America. While one painting portrays a peaceful protest of white and black men and women, another is the aftermath of a night of lynching black men.
William H. Clarke, We The People, 2018
Clarke doesn’t shy away from what he saw on the news and in his hometown in Virginia, in this series. Clarke says the series came from the heavy heart he has as American becomes divided during the Trump era.
Born in Nottoway, Virginia, Clarke draws from his rural upbringing to create his art throughout his career. His artistry is exemplary having never received formal training. Clarke never paints using photographs but paints directly from his memory. “The Struggle for Freedom is not a political series”, says Clarke. He created it to honor those who were wounded, murdered and denied the right to vote.