ABOUT THE ARTIST
WHEN SPEAKING ON HER LIFE AND ARTWORK, WENDY KENDRICK SAYS "MAKING ART CAN BE BEST DESCRIBED AS SATISFYING AN INNER CRAVING OF MY HEART TO CREATE THINGS. ART IS MY BREATH, MY DREAMS, MY MIND, MY HEART AND MY SOUL." "QUITE A BIT OF MY ART DEALS WITH THE SPECIAL BOND THAT WOMEN ENJOY WITH ONE ANOTHER. THE BOND WE SHARE AS MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, GRANDMOTHERS, NIECES, NEIGHBORS AND SISTER FRIENDS. IT'S ABOUT INNER STRENGTH, NURTURING AND SHARING OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY."
IN 2010 MY VISIT TO THE EAST AFRICAN COUNTRY OF TANZANIA AS A U.S. DELEGATE FOR A WOMEN'S ARTIST EXCHANGE GREATLY IMPACTED MY LIFE AND ART. TANZANIA'S TINGATINGA ART STYLE AND BRAZEN MIXING OF PATTERNS IN WOMEN'S CLOTHING CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE MY WORK.
MY WORK HAS ALWAYS FOCUSED ON PEOPLE, BUT THE ELEMENTS USED WHICH HAVE BECOME MY TRADEMARK....LARGE EYES, THICK LIPS AND BROAD NOSES SERVE TO COUNTERACT THE IMAGES OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO THAT WERE THRUST AT ME AS A YOUNG KID VIA PICTURE BOOKS. AS AN ADULT ARTIST, WHEN THE COLLAGE WORK BEGAN AND PORTRAITS STARTED TO SURFACE FROM MY DRAWING TABLE, MY THOUGHTS INSTANTLY RETURNED TO THE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES OF BLACK FOLKS FROM MY YOUTH IN THE EARLY 1960'S.
works
COLLAGE
FABRIC ART
MIXED MEDIA
TEACHING ARTIST
EMBRACING THE VERY ELEMENTS THAT SO MANY OF MY RACE SEEMINGLY HATED TO BE PORTRAYED WITH.. LARGE EYES, BROAD NOSES AND THICK LIPS, WHICH WERE OFTEN PAINTED RED, " I SET OUT INTENT ON INCORPORATING THEM AS PART OF MY ART. PRESENTLY, THESE VERY SAME ELEMENTS ARE USED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF MY WORK IN ORDER TO SHOW THE BEAUTY OF MY PEOPLE."