Work samples

  • And How Are The Children
    And How Are The Children

    And How Are the Children is a greeting of the Maasai people of Africa and the response, All the children are well, is the very fabric of the cultural and societal values of that group of people. This painting is my acknowledging the importance of building our society to ensure the safety, wellbeing, growth and development, and prosperity of our children, our future. Our world, our country, our state and city are anything but that for generations of children. We have work to do.Acrylic on canvas, 24" h x 30 w", 2024.

    Available for Purchase
  • Interposed
    Interposed

    Interposed to settle, reconcile, calm, rectify, and resolve with faith love, and compassion. The painting is acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2021

  • An Opening In The Sky
    An Opening In The Sky

    We all have an interesting relationship with the sky. We look to it to check the weather; we look to it in prayer; we travel from place to place, flying among its clouds; we romanticize about the moon and the stars adorning the sky at night; an we always wonder what’s beyond it. This is a small acrylic painting on watercolor paper, 24" w x 18" h, 2023

    Available for Purchase
  • Indigenous
    Indigenous

    Steeped in the traditional colors and symbols of water, sun, and tribal community bonds, this work pays homage to my Native America heritage. Indigenous, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2021

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About Alma

Baltimore City

Alma Roberts StudioAlma Roberts is a second generation abstract expressionist painter who "paints her way through life" with vivid abstractions rich in passion, history, and the stories she has lived. She is a rising talent despite having recemtly celebrated her 75th… more

View Alma's Resume
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Heads and Bodies

While I identify myself as an Abstract Expressionist painter, some of my early works were bodiless heads and headless bodies. These works express my emotions, my social consciousness, and document my commentary on a host of issues, but they are indeed figurative.

  • Those Masked and Sacred
    Those Masked and Sacred

    Those Masked and Sacred pays tribute to those on the front lines of the COVID pandemic fighting for lives while theirs were in jeopardy. Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40", 2020

  • Beautiful Heart
    Beautiful Heart

    Acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24", 2015

  • Driven to Madness
    Driven to Madness

    "Driven to Madness"  We all walk a razor's edge between sanity and functional madness. This is my depiction of what I imagine it would look like if it got to be true madness. The eyes say it all. The painting is acrylic on canvas, 20" x 20", 2016

  • Woke
    Woke

    Woke. Despite my age, I remain woke to social activism. I desire to do so until I can't. I must hold hope that things can be different and better. Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24", 2017

  • Two Spirit
    Two Spirit

    Two Spirit is the term Indigenous people use to describe individuals who display both male and female demeanors. These are revered individuals in the Indigenous Cultures. Acrylic on canvas, 30" h x 24" w, 2016

  • Steady Breaths and Clear Vision
    Steady Breaths and Clear Vision

    Steady Breaths and Clear Vision, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24", 2018

    Available for Purchase
  • The Spirit of My Ancestors
    The Spirit of My Ancestors

    Spirit of My Ancestors, acrylic on canvas, 30" w x 40" h, 2016

  • A Vessel Full of Power
    A Vessel Full of Power

    A Vessel Full of Power is in the permanent collection at JELMA (James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University). Acrylic and fabric on canvas, 24" w x 36" h, 2018.

  • The Transfiguration of Freddie Gray
    The Transfiguration of Freddie Gray

    Transfiguration of Freddie Gray, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36", 20215

  • Unexpected
    Unexpected

    Unexpected, Acrylic on canvas, 20"x20", 2015

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    • The Impact of Race and Racism

    I am deeply engaged in exploring  the impact of racially motivated acts that shaped or misshaped the social, economic, educational trajectory and wellbeing African-Americans in this country. From the paintings, The Sorrow of the Stolen Ones, The Ultimate Sorrow, Strange and Bitter Fruit, to one of my most recent works, They Found the Clotilda, I am probing and documenting the history, that I am, as a 75 year old African American, still unearthing and digesting. This project presents some of what will be an ever-evolving body work for the remainder of my time.

    • Tear Dress
      "Tear" Dress

      Several Native American tribes have fashioned a dress by tearing pieces of cloth into squares and rectangles and sewing them together. They called them tear dresses. My painting uses the phrase "Tear" Dress to pay homage to the many Native American women who have gone missing. Tear (as in to rip) becomes Tear ( as to shed a tear). Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30", 2023.

    • Stacked and Fitted
      Stacked and Fitted

      We came to this country stacked, fitted, and chained in the bottoms of ships. We have since been caged and shackled in prison cells, and stacked in blighted urban housing projects. We have been cramped and fitted in under- resourced and overcrowded schools, but “still we rise” and stand out, and excel. Stacked and Fitted, acrylic and ink on canvas, 60" x 40" (framed), 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • A Strange and Bitter Fruit
      A Strange and Bitter Fruit

      A Strange and Bitter Fruit is a painting that reflects the inhumanity of lynching. The title of the work is a line from the song, Strange Fruit, by Baltimore Singer, Billie Holliday. She experienced the brunt of racism and racists traveling through the Southern States. Her experiences are not that dissimilar to what Black people continue to experience today including the heinous act of lynching. Racism impacts my daily life and while I paint hope into all of my work, it is done with a heavy dose of skepticism. Acrylic and ink on canvas, 24" x 24", 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • The Ultimate Sorrow
      The Ultimate Sorrow

      When we reflect on the trauma of slavery, we think mostly of those individuals ripped from their families and their homelands, but we must mourn as much for those left behind to grieve. The Ultimate Sorrow, acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40", 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • The Last Breath
      The Last Breath

      George Floyd called for his Mother with his last breath. With all my heart, I hope she found comfort in knowing his last thoughts were of her. Acrylic and ink on canvas, 30"w x 40"h, 2020.

      Available for Purchase
    • Twenty Aboard the White Lion
      Twenty Aboard the White Lion

      The first but far from the last ship to harbor the stolen cargo of my Ancestors sequestered in its wooden, seafaring, belly. Twenty Aboard the White Lion, acrylic on linen canvas, 48" x 50", 2020.

      Available for Purchase
    • 4,743 Recorded
      4,743 Recorded

      Lynching is the most heinous act of inhumanity that has been perpetrated on people of color in this country. There are 4,743 lynchings recorded, but we all know that there have been many, many more. The painting 4,743 Recorded is acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • Resurrection of Osage Avenue
      Resurrection of Osage Avenue

      America bombed its own citizens in the middle of a busy community in Philadelphia, Pa in 1985 just like they destroyed the Greenwood Community in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921, the Rosewood Massacre in Levy County, Florida in 1923, and so many other communities throughout the nation. The Resurrection of Osage Avenue suggests that even with new housing and new residents, the memories and the trauma of that event still haunts the fabric of life on Osage Avenue. Acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 36" x 36", 2018

      Available for Purchase
    • Look at What Just Happened
      Look at What Just Happened

      Again and again and again, the trauma of racism plays out across this country and in every part of this world. Look At What Just Happened, Acrylic on canvas, 36"x36", 2020

    • Indigenous
      Indigenous

      A tribe to my Native American heritage. Indigenous, Acrylic on canvas, 36"x36", 2021

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    • The Fabric of Social and Political Justice

    The role of the artist is to champion social justice, to give a "voice" to the underserved, the marginalized, to assist the environmental advocates, and more, all for enhancing the wellbeing of humanity. We must never shy away from the frank portrayal of injustice and the hope for equity and justice for all.

    • Unredeemed
      Unredeemed

      The City of Flint, Michigan has been unredeemed for sometime; left to the issues presented by a contaminated water supply like the poorest of third world cities. Unredeemed, acrylic on canvas, 22" w x 28"h, 2016.

    • Be Opened
      Be Opened

      Jesus used the word Ephphatha (Be Opened) to employ God to heal the deaf and mute. This painting employs all of us to be opened to heal ourselves from the self-inflicted “wounds” and “ills” of divisiveness. Be Opened, acrylic on linen canvas, 52" x 40 " (framed), 2023,

      Available for Purchase
    • Rome is Burning
      Rome is Burning

      Our social ecosystem is in full-blown, 5 alarm flames. Hunger and poverty, homelessness, ever-widening gaps in health disparities, worker shortages- need I go on. While the alarms are blaring, our "leaders" are fanning the flames that pit citizen against citizen, community against community, church against diversity and inclusion. Rome is truly burning. Acrylic on canvas, 24"x24", 2021

      Available for Purchase
    • Man in a Box
      Man in a Box

      Man In A Box is may commentary on mass incarceration or man dehumanization as I choose to call it. Years ago, I visited a prison in my home state to help inmates form a literary group. I got to see firsthand how these men and women were made to "live" and I have never nor will I ever forget the sadness in all of those eyes. Man In a Box is acrylic on canvas, 12"x12", 2011.

    • Empty Windows
      Empty Windows

      Home is where the heart is has such meaning to me. I have warm, comforting memories of growing up in a house filled with people who loved and cared for me and provided for all my needs. Empty Windows is to remind me and all who view it that each and every minute of every day hundreds of thousands of people in our country are homeless, and hungry. We must all become social justice advocates. Empty Windows, acrylic on canvas, 22"x28", 2016

    • Sprinkle In Some Truth (1)
      Sprinkle In Some Truth (1)

      Combat fake news, advocate for our full and complete history. Sprinkle In Some Truth, acrylic on canvas, 36x36, 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • Women Walking Ardently
      Women Walking Ardently

      Women are by nature, advocates. We are the fierce protectors of our homes, our children, our virtues. Women of Color, linked arm in arm have fought and won more battles then history can record and recount. We’re still marching. Women Walking Ardently,  acrylic and ink on canvas, 24"x24", 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • Without Mercy
      Without Mercy

      Children in cages like in a zoo without mercy. "Without Mercy", acrylic and resin on canvas, 36"x36", 2018

      Available for Purchase
    • The Sky is Falling
      The Sky is Falling

      This is not the Chicken Little story but the environmental crisis of climate change. This is a social justice issue that impacts us all. The Sky is Falling, acrylic and paper on canvas, 48"x36", 2021

      Available for Purchase
    • CaliforniaSkiesAreBurning
      CaliforniaSkiesAreBurning

      Mother Nature is fighting back. California Skies Are Burning, acrylic on canvas, 30"x40", 2020

      Available for Purchase
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    • That Would Be Me

    I am on a journey that should be a movie. I am in the senior years, having the time of my life, fully engaged in many roles and meaningful activities. All of it is like a patchwork quilt with every chapter full of passion, commitment, activism, and then, beginning at the age of 62, my art that is life sustaining. I often say that " I paint my way through life" and indeed that is what I will continue to do.

    • In the Morning When I Awake
      In the Morning When I Awake

      Morning is a sacred time for someone my age. It is both a time of joy and anxiety. Joy, because I have lived to see the dawning of another day; anxiety because I am keenly aware that this morning means there is one less in the lifetime of mornings we are given. There is also joy in knowing that this day can be spent with loved ones doing the things that make us happy. There is some anxiety in knowing and accepting the responsibility of living the day to its fullest in service to others and for the betterment of self. In the Morning When I Awake, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2024.

      Available for Purchase
    • Sawubona
      Sawubona

      Sawubona, I see you. You see me. I acknowledge your existence and you acknowledge mine. We value each others presence. We are jointly a part of humanity. Acrylic, ink, and painted canvas scraps on circular canvas, 20" in diameter, 2023.

      Available for Purchase
    • Patched: To Mend and Strengthen
      Patched: To Mend and Strengthen

      Patched: To Mend and Strengthen, acrylic and mixed media on canvas. 48x48, 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • Dancing 'Til Dawn
      Dancing 'Til Dawn

      I shall be "dancing" until it is my time to meet the dawn. Dancing 'Til Dawn, acrylic and ink on canvas, 36x36, 2021

    • My Urgent Mind
      My Urgent Mind

      In realizing my mortality, my mind and soul want to do, learn, be all that I can in the time I have. My Urgent Mind, acrylic and paper on canvas, 36x36, 2021

    • True to Our Native Land (1)
      True to Our Native Land (1)

      True to Our Native Land, acrylic on canvas, 36"x36", 2021

    • Cover Me With Love
      Cover Me With Love

      I have been able to traverse the winds of adversity and conquer major challenges because of the bonds of love and support that have blanketed me all my life. Cover Me With Love, acrylic and cold wax on canvas, 36" x 36", 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • Mas Amor
      Mas Amor

      More love for everyone from everyone! Amen. Mas Amour, acrylic on canvas, 36x36, 2018

      Available for Purchase
    • Stepping Stones
      Stepping Stones

      On the "backs" and the will of my ancestors, I have succeeded. Stepping Stones, mixed media on canvas, 48"x48", 2022.

    • Revival
      Revival

      There is survival and then there is revival, renewal, reinventing, revitalizing over the course of a lifetime. Revival, acrylic and ink on canvas, 48" w x 36" h, 2023.

      Available for Purchase
    •

    • Small Works on Paper and More Ink

    I was requested by a gallerist to prepare small works on paper to include in their space. Out came these works that are mostly acrylic and ink on watercolor paper. 

    • An Inconvenient Change In Circumstances
      An Inconvenient Change In Circumstances
    • Like Uncoiling a Serpent
      Like Uncoiling a Serpent

      Like Uncoiling A Serpent, acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, image size: 12" w x 9", framed size: 15" w x 12" h, 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • Assembly
      Assembly

      Assembly, acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 20"x16", 2023

    • Meaningful Discourse
      Meaningful Discourse

      Meaningful Discourse, acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 11.8" x 11.8", 2023

    • Living Like Lace
      Living Like Lace

      acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 11.5x 8.5, 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • Confluence
      Confluence

      Confluence, acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 27" w x 21" h, 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • Kaleidoscope
      Kaleidoscope

      Kaleidoscope, acrylic and alcohol ink on watercolor paper, 18.25" w x 20" h, 2023

    • I Saw the Wind Blowing
      I Saw the Wind Blowing

      I Saw the Wind Blowing, acrylic and alcohol ink on watercolor paper, 38"w x 31"h (framed), 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • Constant Elevation.jpg
      Constant Elevation.jpg

      Constant Elevation, acrylic on watercolor paper, 26" w x 20"h (framed), 2023

    • An Opening In The Sky
      An Opening In The Sky

      An Opening in the Sky, acrylic on watercolor paper, 26" w x 20" h (framed),  2023

      Available for Purchase
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    • Things In Life I Can't Explain

    The mysteries of life, culture, environment have stoked my interest all my life. Now I paint about them, still with little or no understanding of the how and why of some of these things. 

    • Upload
      Upload

      We live in an environment where all sorts of data magically get transported from page to page, device to device, from written to audible. Billions of points of data are emailed, scanned, faxed, and texted each and every minute of every day. The how it happens is a mystery to me. The why these data don't get all scrambled in whatever universe they traverse, is an even more phenomenal mystery to me. Upload, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30", 2022.

      Available for Purchase
    • Prism
      Prism

      Bending light is an interesting concept. Bending white light and revealing a spectrum of 7 primary colors is so awesome but quite a mystery. Prism, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 60" x 40", 2022.

      Available for Purchase
    • Distant Stars In Urban Skies
      Distant Stars In Urban Skies

      Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30", 2017

    • World Without End
      World Without End

      The earth is round and yet we don't slide off. About 8 billion people, a plethora of animals, plants, and sea creatures co-habit on its surface. Bodies of water ebb and flow constantly in sync with earth's moon. The earth has rotated and turned in the same manner for millions and millions of years, and for at least the last 4.5 billion years. the earth has done all this without smashing into another planet or stars or its own moon, much less change its orbit and gone off in a new direction. World Without End, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2021

    • A Reflection in Dark Waters
      A Reflection in Dark Waters

      What an inexplicable wonder. I can peer into a body of water and see a reflection of myself and all that surrounds me. The water can reflect the light and swallows up the dark; all at the same time. A Reflection In Dark Waters, acrylic and ink on canvas, 24" x 30", 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • A Night Full of Dreams
      A Night Full of Dreams

      Where do I go on those nights when I have vivid dreams? How close are we to other worlds and realms? I began painting because in a dream state 13 years ago, I was instructed to do so. A Night Full of Dreams, acrylic on canvas, 46" x 48", 2021

      Available for Purchase
    • This Side of Understanding
      This Side of Understanding

      Truth is a myth. There are at least 2 sides to every story and a myriad of interpretations. Facts are reinvented and history is rewritten. Something like art being in the eye of the beholder, truth is what the teller believes.This Side of Understanding, acrylic and ink on canvas, 24" x 30", 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • In the Beginning
      In the Beginning

      A seed before it becomes a seedling, a nebula before it becomes a star, a zygote before it becomes an embryo, all begin as balls of energy and light searching for a place to nestle and grow. It is fascinating that things around us that are so disparate, have beginnings so similar. In the Beginning, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 52.5" x 40.5" (framed), 2022.

      Available for Purchase
    • The Mystery of Pi
      The Mystery of Pi

      Pi is a mathematical value that is literally endless and when applied to circles of any size, its value remains the same. SMH. The Mystery of Pi, acrylic on canvas, 60" x 48", 2023

      Available for Purchase
    • What Happens At Night
      What Happens At Night

      Stars, planets, moon, the sun all traverse an interglactic universe for hundreds of thousands of years and only on rare occasions does something go awry. What Happens At Night is me postulating that a lot more goes on away from our "naked eyes."  What Happens At Night, acrylic on canvas, 30" x 24", 2022

      Available for Purchase
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    • In Search of Solace

    I paint my way through life and so much of life is filled with noise, pain, stress, and divisiveness. I am prioritizing solace and rewardin my art, in my friends, my engagements, and especially through my art.

    • A Broken Heart Still Has Some Joy
      A Broken Heart Still Has Some Joy

      A Broken Heart Still Has Some Joy, acrylic on canvas, 44" x 34" (framed), 2022

      Available for Purchase
    • New Life
      New Life

      New Life, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2017

    • Hallelujah
      Hallelujah
      Hallelujah, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30", 2018
    • Safe to Move Around
      Safe to Move Around
      Safe to Move Around, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36", 2022
    • Common Ground
      Common Ground
      Common Ground, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48", 2023
    • Dancer
      Dancer
      Dancer, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18", 2011
    • A Place of Solace
      A Place of Solace
      A Place of Solace, acrylic and ink on canvas, 36 x 36, 2020
    • Calmed
      Calmed
      Calmed, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36, 2023
    • What's Behind the Noise
      What's Behind the Noise
      What's Behind the Noise, acrylic on canvas, 2019
    • Working On Happiness
      Working On Happiness
      Working on Happiness, acrylic and ink on canvas, 36" x 36", 2021
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