Alma Roberts

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Alma Roberts is a Baltimore-based, second generation abstract expressionist artist. At the age of 62, she literally picked up a paint brush and began producing what has been described as “fully formed, energetic abstract compositions” that belied the fact that she was, at the time, new to the medium. Her works provide an insight into her viewpoints on life and the issues and forces that impact it. 

As she states, “My Father was a portraitist and yet our work often deals with similar expressions, responses, and desires. He drew the faces of those fighting and yearning for a new way of life in this country. I paint, with abstractions, the issues and stories that have not changed very much for people of color in the U.S. I use a broad pallet of colors to grab the attention of the viewer and then use splattering, markings, pours, and layering to get my messages across. I rely heavily on the use of circles and dots to represent humanity both living and past. Conveying messages in a culturally grounded manner is often all a person of color can do in the struggle to undo racism and its traumatic generational impact. Even as I engage in this continuous struggle, every one of my works will convey some point of hope. The hope for change is what has driven my activism all of my life. 

“For many years, I did this through spoken and written imagery. Now I use my visual works to connect and to translate my life to those I live with, and live for. Even at this age, it is my intent to stay unapologetically woke and present through my art. I owe that to my Father, to honor the gift of his artistry that he passed on to me and the sacrifices he made to give it. I also owe it to society to fight for what is needed to move our democracy to be the best that it was intended to be for all who reside under its doctrines.” 

Roberts is a self-taught artist who considers artists Alma Thomas, Jack Whitten, Norman Lewis, Sam Gilliam, Joan Mitchell, and Mark Rothko as influences on her work. She has had numerous exhibits in the years she has been painting. In 2017, she had a successful solo exhibition at the City Hall Gallery in her beloved hometown of Baltimore. She also has one of her compositions (A Vessel Full of Power, 2017)accepted into the permanent collection of the James E. Lewis Museum at her undergraduate Alma Mater, Morgan State University (Baltimore). Roberts is a founding member of the Joshua Johnson Council at the Baltimore Museum of Art. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture, and is a Commissioner on the Baltimore Public Art Commission that oversees and approves the installation and maintenance of public art throughout the city. 

Website: www.almaroberts.com 

Instagram: @almarobertsart 

Facebook: Alma Roberts Studio