Baker Artist Portfolios

Artist Biography

Summer Blake (she/her) is a self-taught artist living and creating in Baltimore. Her creative journey began with the simple act of mindless doodling, but when she discovered a compass and protractor, her life changed forever. Her love for symmetry, repetitive patterns, and vivid colors all stand out as distinctive markers of her work. However, the one constant throughout all her work is its contemplative nature. Summer's work is an exploration into the multiplicity of consciousness itself and an effort to express seemingly ineffable qualities of being.

Through her art, Summer's primary mission is to inspire her viewers toward empowerment and growth. The intricacy and complexity of her art encourage the viewer to look closely, reflect deeply, and stay fully present. From her perspective, taking the time to be present, to attune to even the smallest details of life, grants us insight and clarity into why we do and think the way we do. Ultimately, as we become more attentive and more aware, our realizations begin to open us to the potential for transformation beyond our wildest imaginings, healing us on both a personal and a collective level.

Summer is passionate about the value of self-expression in finding one’s joy. A longtime Baltimore resident, Summer facilitates women’s circles, teaches workshops on creative expression, and participates in collaborative projects with local creatives. She travels locally, nationally, and internationally to share her work, create art live, and engage in meaningful discussion on healing through self-acceptance.

Artist Statement

Summer Blake is a visionary artist based in Baltimore, MD. Through her intricate mandalas, she invites her audience to embark on an introspective exploration into the mysteries of consciousness. Each piece presents a unique narrative or focus, drawing on a variety of spiritual and cultural traditions, archetypal symbols, and universal patterns such as sacred geometry to offer insights into the nature of existence. Her creative process is an act of surrender, of releasing what no longer serves in order to open to what the present moment has to offer. Each fully realized piece narrates the cyclical human journey from doubt and fear into trusting the process, and trusting oneself.


The Artist's Creative Process

Summer's artwork is painstakingly done by hand. In order to achieve symmetry and consistency in her work, she uses a compass, protractor, and ruler. These tools help her create the near-perfect shapes necessary for her intricate designs. Summer works with archival ink pens and watercolor on watercolor paper. She then hand cuts her pieces and centers them on black glitter paper to create negative space around the focal image. The "negative" glitter space, containing many tiny reflecting points of light, is intended to symbolize the cosmos, the fertile space between stars, where there is room for all manner of things to come into being. Her body of work ranges from 2 by 2 inches to a little under two feet square.