The power of darkness and light are beautifully illustrated in the unique work of local artist TheArthur Wright. Born in Arkansas in 1940, Mr. Wright has the relaxed ease and pace of a Southerner even after "40 some-odd" years as a resident of Oakland.
Wright's personal style of openness and warmth is directly reflected in the intimacy of his images. In the late 70s he invented a technique that he calls "pointiflet" which he has since mastered and continues to experiment with and perfect. It resembles pointillism—many small dots making up a complete image – but is very unique in that instead of paint on white paper, he works in reverse using bleach, applied with small bamboo skewers onto black paper. It is as if he evokes the light images forth from the darkness of the background, and that his images emerge three-dimensionally toward the viewer. The effect is brilliant in the true sense of the word as the pages genuinely emanate light. The bleach creates shades of deep gold to bright white, creating sepia-toned photo-realistic imagery. He refers to this as "controlled electricity" and the images nearly vibrate with life.
His subjects are portraits of mainly Africans and African-American current and historical figures, ranging from the mythical Nigerian Queen Califia, for whom California gets its name, to Zulu warriors, Maasai locals, Rwandan children, and firebrand American performers Josephine Baker and Tina Turner. The backgrounds of his portraits resemble outer space and give the figures a feeling of being suspended in time. “I want to emphasize the sanctity of the universe," says Wright. His "journeys" feel heavenly, "taking the viewer back to the beginning of time."

Self-taught and self-determined, Mr. Wright's motto, "I paint from a point of strength," is a point that is impossible to miss. His work can be viewed at: www.sigidiart.com.