Arty Farty Friday ~ Faith Ringgold

Artist's own website, where many of her works are detailed and shown under section headed "Images".

From Scholastic.com

When I was a little girl growing up in Harlem, I was always encouraged to value who I was and to go after what I want. Ever since I was young, I've always had a need to express my ideas through art. Being an artist and a writer of children's books is a fulfillment of my lifelong ambition.

I became an artist for the same reason I became a writer - I wanted to tell my story. I was born in Harlem in 1930. I was the baby of my family, the youngest of three children. My childhood was the most wonderful period of my life, until now. Because I was sick with asthma when I was growing up, I was forced to spend a lot of time at home. This was not a hardship, however. Instead, it gave me time alone with my mother, who was a fashion designer at the time. She taught me how to sew (just like her grandmother had taught her) and how to be creative with art and fabrics. My mother also took me to museums and to see great performers. She put me in touch with the best of everything.

When my mother died in 1981, I started making quilts as a tribute to her. During that time, I was trying to get my autobiography published, but no one wanted to print my story. In 1983, I began writing stories on my quilts, as an alternative. That way, when my quilts were hung up to look at, or photographed for a book, people could still read my stories. I have “written” 30 story quilts since then. They are written the way I write my children's stories - each section written on the quilt is a page.

Writing children's books has allowed me to communicate my ideas and vision and, I hope, give back to children some of the magic they have shown me.

Born on 8 October 1930 in Harlem, New York. Chart set for 12 noon, time of birth unavailable.

Ms Ringgold's art/writing combination is reflected nicely by Venus (the arts) in helpful sextile to Mercury (writing/communication) and a further sextile to a strengthening cluster of planets: Mars (energy)Pluto (power) and Jupiter (publication).

Her activism is indicated by the opposition of Sun (self) in diplomatic Libra, and Uranus (the rebel) in pro-active Aries; the opposition forms part of a Grand Cross involving Sun, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.

From Astrotheme

The typical case of a person with a grand cross in the natal chart prompts the native to create, take action, and in the beginning, to repeat the same kinds of errors. If he is perspicacious, he understands quite quickly that it is in a context of tensions and hurdles that he gives his best. In addition, as he starts to mature, he realizes that it is in inaction, and paradoxically when there are no problems to solve that he feels… the worst.