A Song is a Prayer by Jimmy James Greene

A Song is a Prayer by Jimmy James Greene, Acrylic on Canvas, 48 x 60 inches

“This work addresses the spiritual dimension of music. Depicted is a drummer looking upward towards a butterfly which symbolizes the aspirations of the figure. The use of a jig-saw puzzle as the background suggest that these dreams and goals can be achieved systematically and strategically, as one solves the game of life.”

Since his childhood in Xenia, Ohio, Jimmy James Greene has shown exceptional artistic ability. After apprenticing with acclaimed afro-centric muralist, Jon Onye Lockard, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he continued to study art and graduated from The Rhode Island School of Design. Greene has become an accomplished collagist, painter, draftsman, and print maker, and has talent that expands as a designer who works with stained glass and mosaic tiles. For the past 25 years, his work has explored the communal expressions of the African Diaspora and those of the African American experience. Greene has resided in New York City for the past 26 years as an arts educator and working artist. As a fine artist, Greene has executed over 31 exhibitions and innumerable group showings. As a commercial artist he has theater posters, CD covers and many newspaper, magazine, and book cover illustrations to credit. Greene has been commissioned to do public works of art by The New York Transit Authority (Utica Ave Subway Station), New York’s City Parks Foundation, and St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Brooklyn.