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African Americans in Art: Felrath Hines “Red Strip with Green Background”

  • Taelor J.
  • Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Abstract Creation Activity

There is much more to Black history than civil rights activists and inventors. This project explores the cultural contributions of African American artist, Felrath Hines, and gives you the opportunity to make your own artwork inspired by his!  Felrath Hines was an abstract painter and art conservator from Indianapolis, Indiana. His work focused on figurative, non-literal meanings and typically made using oil paint on linen.

 

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Felrath Hines “Red Strip with Green Background”
Date: Red Stripe with Green Background, 1986
Medium: Oil on linen
Dimensions: 51 x 39 7⁄8 in. (129.4 x 101.4 cm)
Credit Line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dorothy C. Fisher, wife of the artist
Felrath Hines Art Work

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Instructions

For this project you will be using paint, paint brushes, masking tape, a piece of cardboard or something to paint on and a medium sized piece of cloth to make a geometric abstract painting in the style of Felrath Hines. Of course, as with any art project, you can use these instructions as inspiration and use your creativity to make whatever you would like.

Materials for Abstract Activity

 

Step 1: Decide on what geometric shapes you would like to you use (squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, etc.)

Step 2: Choose a color palette or color scheme

Step 3: First you can use a pencil to lightly sketch out your design on your piece of cloth if you would like. You can then use the masking tape to tape off your background and shapes you want to incorporate in your design. Using masking tape will allow you to have straight lines and sharp crisp edges.

Step 3 of Abstract Activity

Step 4: Paint you background pattern/design. Let dry.

Step 5: Remove masking tape used for you background.

Step 4 of Abstract Activity

Step 6: Paint your shapes. Let dry.

Step 6 of Abstract Activity

Step 7: Ask an adult for help finding a place to display your work!

 

If this activity has your creative juices flowing, consider submitting your art work for possible inclusion in Richland Library's literary magazine, Kids in Print.  

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Want to learn more about African American Art and Artists?

Take a look at the following booklist:

Looking for even more good books?  Check out our personalized recommendations or call us at 803-799-9084. Find more resources on race, equity, and inclusion, here.

Faith Ringgold Paints Crown Heights

Faith Ringgold Paints Crown Heights

Published in 2006
Faith Ringgold details the creation of the quilt she created to represent the diverse cultures and traditions comprising the area of Crown Heights in New York city.
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Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden

Visual Jazz ; Faith Ringgold
Published in 2004
Two short films on two African American artists: Romare Bearden and Faith Ringgold. Romare Bearden shows collage artist Bearden at work, featuring commentary by leading experts. In Faith Ringgold, painter Ringgold discusses her move from working with traditional canvas to "tankas" paintings on quilted canvas.
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Words with Wings

Words with Wings

A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art
Published in 2001
Pairs twenty works of art by African-American artists with twenty poems by twenty African-American poets.
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A Splash of Red

A Splash of Red

The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Bryant, Jen, 1960-
Published in 2013
As a child in the late 1800s, Horace Pippin loved to draw: He loved the feel of the charcoal as it slid across the floor. He loved looking at something in the room and making it come alive again in front of him. Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet team up once again to share this inspiring story of a self-taught painter from humble beginnings who despite many obstacles, was ultimately able to do what he loved, and be recognized for who he was: an artist.
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A Splash of Red

A Splash of Red

The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Bryant, Jen, 1960-
Published in 2013
Presents an illustrated introduction to the life and work of artist Horace Pippin, describing his childhood love for drawing and the World War I injury that challenged his career.
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A Splash of Red

A Splash of Red

The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Bryant, Jen, 1960-
Published in 2013
Presents an illustrated introduction to the life and work of artist Horace Pippin, describing his childhood love for drawing and the World War I injury that challenged his career.
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A Drawing in the Sand

A Drawing in the Sand

A Story of African American Art
Butler, Jerry, 1947-
Published in 1998
Describes Jerry Butler's development as an artist and his discovery of the long and beautiful tradition of Afro-American art that preceded him.
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Story Painter

Story Painter

The Life of Jacob Lawrence
Duggleby, John.
Published in 1998
A biography of the African American artist who grew up in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance and became one of the most renowned painters of the life of his people.
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Going Back Home

Going Back Home

An Artist Returns to the South
Igus, Toyomi.
Published in 1996
Narrative text describes the artist's paintings and their portrayal of the lives of her African American relatives in the rural American South.
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Painting Dreams

Painting Dreams

Minnie Evans, Visionary Artist
Lyons, Mary E.
Published in 1996
A biography of the North Carolina painter whose art had its origins in her religious visions and the African traditions of her slave ancestors.
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Starting Home

Starting Home

The Story of Horace Pippin, Painter
Lyons, Mary E.
Published in 1993
Discusses the life and work of the African-American folk artist Horace Pippin.
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Henry Ossawa Tanner

Henry Ossawa Tanner

His Boyhood Dream Comes True
Ringgold, Faith.
Published in 2011
Explores the life of the African American artist from his youth as a student of fine arts to his time in Paris, where his created his most celebrated works.
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Radiant Child

Radiant Child

The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Steptoe, Javaka, 1971-
Published in 2016
Jean-Michael Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocked to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art work had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message and art doesn't always have to be neat or clean--and definitely not inside the lines--to be beautiful.
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It Jes' Happened

It Jes' Happened

When Bill Traylor Started to Draw
Tate, Don.
Published in 2012
"A biography of twentieth-century African American folk artist Bill Traylor, a former slave who at the age of eighty-five began to draw pictures based on his memories and observations of rural and urban life in Alabama. Includes an afterword, author's note, and sources"--Provided by publisher.
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Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold

Turner, Robyn.
Published in 1993
Examines the life and work of the artist whose determination to be true to her African-American heritage brought about an influential new art form.
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Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks

How the Photographer Captured Black and White America
Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956- author.
Published in 2015
Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed.
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Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks

How the Photographer Captured Black and White America.
Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956- author.
Published in 2015
Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed.
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Art from Her Heart

Art from Her Heart

Folk Artist Clementine Hunter
Whitehead, Kathy, 1957-
Published in 2008
Clementine Hunter's paintings went from hanging on her clothesline to hanging in museums, yet because of the color of her skin, a friend had to sneak her in when the gallery was closed.
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The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance

An Explosion of African-American Culture
Worth, Richard.
Published in 2009
"Explores the Harlem Renaissance, a reawakening of African-American culture, including literature, the arts, theater, and music, motivated by a goal to achieve equal rights"--Provided by publisher.
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Author

Taelor J.

Youth Services Specialist
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Fine Arts
Learning Activities for Children
Audience
Parents
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School age children (6-12 years)
6-8 years
9-12 years

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