Larry Clark | Clarence Major | Kevin Snipes | Ira Watkins

Larry Clark, Jazz in the South of Louisiana, 1993

The John Natsoulas Gallery is thrilled to host an exciting exhibition, Four For The Figure, featuring a multitalented group of artists. Peer into the intensely intricate and lyrical worlds of four prolific artists, including Larry Clark, Clarence Major, Kevin Snipes, and Ira Watkins, all of whom channel their painterly aesthetics through canvas and ceramics to explore the figure’s character and to celebrate their shared African American identity.

Larry Clark grew up in Louisiana but moved to San Francisco in 1987 where he drew and painted at the Hospitality House’s Community Arts Program. Against all odds, including  poverty, disease, and institutionalized violence, he never stopped making art. His paintings explore imagery of Black legacy, with a distinctive style rooted in the intricacies of his drawings. Clarence Major is a critically acclaimed author, poet, and painter whose subjects range from communities gathering in bustling streets to pensive, powerful women, donning myriads of patterns and colors. As for Kevin Snipes, he is a brilliant ceramist and painter who has exhibited nationally and internationally. In a variety of media, he crafts narratives intended to confront discrimination through the adoption of a sophisticated, illustrative approach. Then, there is the activist responsible for the stunning mural of Martin Luther King in Waco, Texas: Ira Watkins. He is a Bay Area resident and self-taught artist whose compositions often portray the African American diaspora in the Bay Area during World War II, and whose scenes commemorate Black compassion. 

From February 28 to April 5, you can see their art in conversation with one another and discover how each artist uniquely addresses the human form. Paintings by the four showcase the importance of contemporaneous visual arts, music, prose and poetry, and  the experiences of participating in American culture as Black artists. 

Opening Reception – March 8, 2024 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM, featuring live music and free refreshments