Athlone Clarke was born in Jamaica, West Indies in 1956. He immigrated to the United States in 1985 and has since been involved in the local art movement on various levels. During the mid 80's he made his living as a published free-lance writer. Athlone also painted during this period and took part in several south eastern shows. In the years that followed his writing established a relationship with his visual work and eventually gave birth to a colorful, mixed media off-spring. Athlone's work is commonly described as conversational, documental, interactive and even confrontational. The latter description comes from the fact that he has never backed away from the interpreting lightening rod issues such as race, gender, civil rights, politics and even religion. Nonetheless, he strives to make his work truthful, relevant, inclusive, educational, and uplifting.

"Being broken, made whole" is inspired by the truism that art can save lives. In my own life I've discovered that art creates a greater awareness of spirit, not just for the artist, but also for the viewer who understands that even smallest thing is capable of changing the course of one's life in a positive way. Some call this the "butterfly effect". I believe this show will be a visual testimony of how the insignificant 'if" in life can reveal the great possibilities of soul. I'm convinced that the work of Spirit creates it's own audience."
-- Athlone Clarke

Fred Richards-Daishi is a self-taught artist who began painting on a regular basis in his basement in January, 2008.  After thirty years in private practice as a psychotherapist in Carrollton, GA.  Dr. Richards is a Hixson Fellow, a published poet and has authored articles on psychology, education, the healthy personality, and counselor training.  He is also the author and/or editor of several books in psychology and education. He signs his paintings with both his given name and the name "Daishi," bestowed upon him by his friend and mentor, Richard Kirsten Daiensai, a Seattle, Washington, Zen Buddhist priest and artist.

"I prefer working with acrylics, but sometimes work with mixed media. My experience in painting is like my experience of life.  A lot of times I struggle with how to proceed and things don't go exactly according to plan.  Often, it's a process of things falling apart and coming together over and over, and what I end up with is sometimes very different from the original vision.  My art is about my soul.  It is an expression of my soul life.  I paint in order to reconcile the contradictory forces of life and to stay alive in a world that often seems afraid of life.  My work reflects encounters between this world and another reality that is both mysterious and present in this one.

Painting, at its heart, is the art and act of loving; it's more being than doing. For the most part I paint in solitude and silence and commiserate with the angels and demons within, not just to show forth what stands before us in the external world but to catch a glimpse of "the secret soul of things" that abides in all of us and even in the least of the things we encounter."
-- Fred Richards-Daishi