Kerry James Marshall

Written By Jasmine Quintana

Watts 1963 by Kerry James Marshall | The Saint Louis Art Museum

On view in gallery 248 at the Saint Louis Art Museum, this colorful large-scale painting catches the eye instantly.

This work by Kerry James Marshall titled Watts 1963 is part of the series Garden Project which consists of 5 paintings. This work is the only work in the series that is autobiographical, depicting the artist and his siblings in the Nickerson Gardens in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles where they lived as a child for two years. Cheerful yellow daisies, bright green grass, happy bluebirds and the banner with Alabama’s state motto (where Marshall lived previously) distracts the eye from impoverished conditions and reflects a youthful optimistic outlook.

Being the true art history nerd that I am, seeing the striking work in the gallery wasn’t enough. After a deep dive into the vast web, I came across the following 3 short videos which gave a further glimpse into the works and process of the artist Kerry James Marshall.

I hope you enjoy!

Jasmine Quintana

Jasmine I. Quintana received her BA in 2016 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, with a major in art history and a minor in studio art-concentrating in painting. Focusing on creating visual narratives, Jasmine lives in the realm of magical realism-bending the lines and boundaries between emotion, reality, and dreams. A strong fascination with organic shapes found in nature, Jasmine’s work is a melody of interaction between the human figure, the natural world, and the complex emotion found in between. In this space is where she says, the best stories are told.

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