Cathleen McCoy Bristol

As a child, I became aware of other people of different cultures who had migrated or immigrated to Newark, New Jersey. Some children at school or in the neighborhood had parents were from the continent of Africa, the Caribbean, or Hispanic cultures. Some of us had similar backgrounds such as Southern roots to which they returned in the summer months or came from during the same season. There were accents, southern drawls, differences in the intonation of speech and stories of tradition. In some cases, the smells of cooking clung to their hair or clothing. I loved hearing the stories of family gatherings, farm life or going back to the family's village or compounds. I could only imagine what it was like traveling between countries or to southern states. My paintings, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE and THE AUDIENCE are paintings that indicate people gathering for music or food. FLOWER CHILD and FLORAL HEADDRESS show how some peoples of Africa use foliage as part of their dress.