A living love letter to darker hues.
Rolonda Larae is a New Jersey based self-taught artist who fell in love with collage in 2004 and never looked back. Her work was born of a need to create along with an inability to afford materials - resulting in the use of donated, recycled paper to create portraits of Black people. She eventually expanded her media to include acrylic paint and occasionally fabric, but still heavily relies on recycled papers in her work.
With a focus on the beauty, complexity, and diversity of the Black experience, Rolonda seeks to represent people from all walks of life. Rolonda finds inspiration in her culture - in the faces of Black people that she encounters in real life and sees in media. Her interest is sparked by Black people displaying their style, demonstrating their talents, or simply living their lives. She is also heavily influenced by the works of artists such as Faith Ringgold, Benny Andrews, and Romare Bearden, to name a few.
Carefully cutting and gluing small bits of old paper to create something new is both a meditative and energizing practice for Rolonda, and each final product is a love letter to Blackness.