By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Author
LEIMERT PARK — By the point a buddy informed Imad Obegi in mid-June that he ought to enter the fifth annual Leimert Park Jazz Pageant Artwork Competitors, he didn’t have a lot time to consider it or give you an concept for one thing to color. The deadline was June 28.
“As soon as I made a decision to enter the competitors, I settled in and received it finished in 4 days,” stated Obegi, a flexible artist proficient in a myriad of mediums, together with encaustic portray, oils, pastels, watercolor and images. “I gave it my all. I labored 10 hours a day for 4 days and received it finished. I put all the things on maintain to enter this.”
Obegi’s efforts paid off. His “Rhythms of Leimert Park,” one in every of three finalists, received the competitors.
His work will probably be on show throughout the pageant, which will probably be held from 11:30 a.m. to eight:30 p.m. Aug. 31 on the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (rooftop parking deck).
“I used to be actually joyful,” stated Obegi, a first-time participant who entered the competitors as a result of he “loves a problem.” “I did a social media and a word-of-mouth marketing campaign to get votes. I additionally informed individuals to have a look at my web site. I don’t know what number of votes I acquired, however I’m joyful I received.”
The opposite finalists included DeMario Morgan’s “Soul of Music,” and Gail Oliver’s “I Am Jazz Man Guardian Angel.”
Obegi’s piece depicts a feminine jazz singer with a big Afro belting out a music.
Obegi, who’s white, stated he took additional care to be respectful of how he depicted the topics in his poster. He wished the poster to mirror the tradition of the pageant.
“I wished a various poster which is why one of many different guys within the poster is lighter,” Obegi stated. “The options, the hair. I actually wished to seize and mirror the spirit of the neighborhood, so I needed to have African People within the poster.”
After a panel of 4 jurors chosen the three finalists, the ultimate resolution was left as much as the neighborhood who selected Obegi because the official 2024 Leimert Park Jazz Pageant visible artist for his, making him the recipient of the $1,000 prize.
Jurors who chosen the three finalists included acclaimed artist Charles Bibbs, Khalil Kinsey, chief curator and inventive director of the Kinsey African American Artwork & Historical past Assortment; Steven O’Connor, emblem designer, artist, and winner of the 2023 Leimert Park Jazz Pageant Artwork Competitors; and Larry Earl, senior curator and historian of the Kinsey African American Artwork & Historical past Assortment.
“All three of the posters have been dynamic,” Earl stated. “One of many key issues we have been searching for was entries to convey Leimert Park’s spirit. We wished the entries to be vibrant, colourful, about neighborhood, quite a lot of blackness and all its iterations.
“We seemed for method. We checked out how they’re utilizing the medium they selected and the way they manipulate it to create a picture. What the three finalists had in frequent was that they embodied the spirit and introduced out the spirit of artwork.”
Earl, who received’t reveal which of the three ultimate posters he was rooting for, stated all the entries spoke to him.
“All of them hit the correct notes,” he stated. “After I take into consideration jazz, I take into consideration nice jazz singers. Obegi’s poster evokes a picture. It harkens again to so many issues together with delight and cultural love.
“Artwork ought to make us really feel one thing,” Earl added. “It ought to transfer us to an emotion. It ought to have the capability to be enduring. Artwork is a manner of expressing ideas and emotions and recounting time. It invokes a music. It offers me pleasure. It offers me life.”
Diane Robertson, govt producer of the Leimert Park Jazz Pageant stated, “The successful piece of our companion artwork competitors fantastically embodies the essence of Leimert Park its vibrant tradition, deep-rooted historical past as the middle of African-American music, artwork and tradition in Los Angeles.
“This paintings not solely captures the soul of jazz but in addition displays the inventive heartbeat of our neighborhood,” she added. “We’re proud to showcase this distinctive work at our pageant and have it turn out to be the commemorative poster for this yr’s fifth pageant the place we rejoice the intersection of music and visible arts that outline our neighborhood.”
Obegi isn’t any stranger to successful awards for his artwork.
His accolades embrace the first-place award for Finest Catalina Artwork Scene and a second-place honor within the images class on the Catalina Island Artwork Pageant, and successful three years consecutively at Berkeley’s Chocolate and Chart Pageant.
Obegi, who educated formally in artwork lessons, poster design, airbrushing, oil portray and determine drawing, stated the rules for the competitors included authentic artwork, creating one thing that reveals the environment and tradition of the pageant, and utilizing inventive inventive expertise.
“I brainstormed with my girlfriend and her buddy,” stated Obegi, whose medium of alternative is pastel. “I additionally checked out reference photographs. I wished my topic to sing and have mouth motion. I wished to signify the music popping out of the neighborhood. It wanted to mirror the tradition of the pageant.”
Obegi stated his inspiration for “Rhythms of Leimert Park” comes from the colourful vitality and wealthy musical heritage of Leimert Park.
“With a few years of expertise in determine drawing and portraiture, I challenged myself to make use of oil portray as a medium to create a vintage-style posterized picture, with a restricted colour palette that captures the liveliness of jazz,” he stated.
Obegi stated it’s good to be acknowledged by the neighborhood for his artwork.
“I really like showcasing my artwork and expressing myself,” he stated. “The artwork helps me to speak. It looks like success when individuals present appreciation for my artwork. That is an thrilling second to know I can proceed to have that drive and actually have an effect on individuals.”
Obegi, 59, who’s Syrian, grew up in Northern California, within the East Bay space earlier than shifting to Los Angeles and ultimately Santa Monica. He attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and acquired a bachelor’s diploma in biochemistry.
He labored in that business for 35 years earlier than deciding to focus his vitality on his artwork.
“After I was working in biotech, I didn’t have time for my artwork,” he stated. “Now, I’ve time. Solely the longer term will inform how this can have an effect on my profession. I’m so proud to say I’m an award-winning artist.”
Obegi stated he by no means considered how artwork makes him really feel, however now that he’s been requested, he realizes “it means all the things.”
“Artwork is a profound outlet for creativity and expression,” stated Obegi, who can be knowledgeable photographer. “I get to convey my feelings. Phrases alone can’t describe it. Artwork offers me a way of achievement and pleasure.”
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The fifth annual Leimert Park Jazz Pageant, govt produced by Diane Robertson, takes place from 11:30 a.m. to eight:30 p.m. Aug. 31 on the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, (rooftop parking deck), 3650 W. Martine Luther King Jr. Blvd. For info, go to leimertparkjazzfestival.org.
The expertise roster contains the Stanley Jordan Trio, Billy Childs Trio, Gilbert Castellanos Quintet, Justo Almario’s Afro-Colombian Ensemble, the Chris Powe Quartet, and Fernando Pullum Neighborhood Arts Heart Jazz Band with particular friends Nolan Shaheed on trumpet and George Bohanon on trombone.
Darlene Donloe is a contract reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She might be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
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