Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shemeeka Gentry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shemeeka, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I live by my motto of “you are only as great as your last painting”. I strive to do better on each painting as well as have a connection with all my paintings. I don’t paint to generate income; I paint to make a statement and to achieve happiness/satisfaction from my clients. I would say all of my paintings are meaningful as they all represent different significances. However, to highlight one particular project would be the “Live United” Mural I created last year. I wanted to create a mural to showcase how we are all unity and should live united through diversity and disability. When you see the mural, you will view the different colored geometric shapes which represents the different races and sizes we derive in as well as the sign language and wording spelling out “diversity”. It is located on 1265 Memorial Drive SE Atlanta Georgia 30317.

Shemeeka, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Shemeeka Gentry and I’m a visual artist and muralist located in Atlanta with over 30 years of experience. I started off my love for the arts at a very young age and it stayed with me throughout my matriculation at ASU and NYU. I typically use acrylic paint and mixed mediums to create paintings and murals. My art can be described as black art as I strive to paint representations of our passion, love triumphs, and pride. It illustrates the power and strength of black beauty. You can see some of my art showcased around Atlanta at different establishments such as CustomCore Fitness (1630 Dekalb Ave). I have been featured a few times within VoyageATL. I am also a proud member of East Point College Park Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. I’m most proud of my perseverance to keep going and never giving up. People will judge your art and say art is not a career, but if you are passionate about it; never give it up. I’m also proud that I have the willingness to learn. I’m always striving to do better and be better by learning new art techniques.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn was obstacles are bad. Obstacles are not bad and can be used as steppingstones. For example, I work a full-time job as well as own an art business. I used to get frustrated when I wasn’t receiving a lot of orders and when I didn’t have a lot of time to paint. I had to learn that everyone has their own journey, and my journey is completely different. There will be times where I have time to paint and other times when I don’t have time to paint. I had to realize that I must celebrate my present moment and wins.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing my final product and seeing the satisfaction on my client’s face. I can love the painting all I want, but if my client isn’t happy, then I ultimately fail. Another rewarding aspect is seeing the growth and progression within my artwork.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ravencreationsllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravencreationsllc/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ravencreationsllc/