Like so many of our Zenith Gallery artists, Curtis Woody has developed his own technique and style. He capture’s events and people throughout history. With our new reliance on, and appreciation of family, along with time on your hands now might be a good time to commission your own family tree! Giclée prints can be made from the original so that your entire family can have a copy. (See sample in progress above).
Choose your theme with your family pictures, if you like sports, music, your ancestors, or what ever is your family legacy or your family hobby or passions. He’s great at digging up information on a variety of different subjects. Curtis is a delight to work with. You will enjoy the process. If you find a piece that already exists, we are delighted to help you obtain that piece.
Historic narrative mural installed at Boone Elementary, Washington, D.C.
We have done several mural commissions with DGS for the DC Public Schools where Curtis creates a visual history of the school. Woody built each piece with a quilt like block background and layered each piece with images and documents dealing with the history of the school.
Curtis’ work can be found in the collections of Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer; NBA Basket Ball player “Tree” Rollins; Madame Leah Tutu, wife of Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa; and the Honorable Alexis Herman, Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Labor. Curtis was one of two artist commissioned for the “one per cent for art” component of Enoch Pratt Free Library’s $3.2 million renovation project.
Museum exhibitions include A Sketch of Slavery in the District of Columbia, a solo exhibition created specifically for Dumbarton House in Washington D.C., reflecting upon the experience of slavery in the District of Columbia during the founding of our nation. In 2017 the Laurel Historical Society Museum produced Unraveling Their Stories, featuring Curtis’ work, and in 2012 the African American Museum & Cultural center of Prince George’s County featured Curtis’ work in a solo exhibition, A Struggle for Dignity, An Artistic Exploration of Slavery and Emancipation.
“I am a mixed media collage painter, drawing inspiration from historical connection points that join together individuals, families, generations and communities. I create highly textured and intricately detailed original art pieces that are intended to breathe new life into and enhance the unique characteristics of a common historical heritage. Life is a circle and I take pleasure in salvaging the old to create something new, asking the viewer to recognize the past while appreciating the here and now.
My paintings are research-based collages and layers which are fabricated in a variety of ways. I highlight impactful images and also play close attention to minute details. Some paintings start with hand cut museum board blocks that are painted, embellished, scratched and merged together. I used an assortment of found objects, old books, aged photographs, buttons, letters, vintage newspapers and rusty metal combined with an assortment of artistic mediums. The meaning of the attached elements often becomes clearer to me as they are assembled. The result is a continual search for balance between spontaneity and historical relevance.
My richly layered work invites viewers to step in closer, explore details, and create or reflect on their own stories of connection. Because of the multi-layering it is my expectation that the paintings become thoughtful, spiritual, interesting and sensitive creations.”
Because I am a Free Woman, Born of a Free Woman, by Curtis Woody
Conversation Blues, by Curtis Woody
I Speak Fluent Baseball, by Curtis Woody
Every Girl is a Super Hero Sometimes, by Curtis Woody
Daughters, by Curtis Woody
