"Everyone in my family had some special gift — music, dance, art, singing ability so I was inspired by everyone in a big family!" Sheila says, adding, "I was mostly quiet and strange so when everyone realized that I had a gift to draw that made up for my oddness. They’ve always made me feel special even to this day."
Armed with such sensibilities, Sheila has transcended artistic barriers to create a personal vision that embraces the possibilities of a new age and emerging cultural milestones. Her paintings and portraits are full of energy, motion, color and spirituality. In her tribute to the early Hip Hop era dancers, a young man spins on his head in Break Dancer. Other paintings portray people singing, dancing and celebrating life’s daily rituals. These works reflect the present urban American experience through the rich influences of West African art and Pablo Picasso’s cubism. She has contributed to several major exhibitions including "It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop" at the Rush Arts Gallery, the JVC Jazz Fest 2000 at St. Peters Church, Culture Fest in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and "Rescue Missions: Young Black Women Artist in Love and War!" at the Caribbean Cultural Center in New York City.
Some of the challenges facing Sheila as an artist began when she was a fine arts major in college and noticed that the foundation of art history was based on the work of European artists."It was as if African-American artists didn’t exist. They would send us on assignments to the Guggenheim Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art to study art history," says Sheila. Even the school library didn’t have books on Black art. "I had to venture off on my own. All my education about African-American artists I learned from the studying at the Schomburg and the Studio Museum of Art. I just ate it up. "Pablo Picasso went to Africa where he studied African Art — that’s when he came back doing the cubism style. Being exposed through him took me back to my roots and I feel like I’m taking it full circle," says Sheila. "My work has a contemporary urban style but you can still see the strong connection it has to Africa.
"For inspiration, I look to African-Americans who have managed to succeed regardless of the challenges that stood before them. Music is another source of inspiration, I just love music," says Sheila. Recently, she wrote and produced one of the selected musical pieces for the forthcoming independent film "Tales of a Bugged Out Black Chick" by actress/performer Echo Allen.
Sheila’s photography reveals the depth of her passion for music. In a series of photographs dedicated to jazz artists, she exploits yet another medium to portray such trailblazing musicians as Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Regina Carter and Wynton Marsalis. From close up shots of a vintage saxophone with the slight human presence of the musician’s hands, to stage performances utilizing the implied movement of high speed stop action, she seems to capture the experience of making music. Her poem "Reflect" is a praise song to the greatness of our musical forefathers and foremothers who laid the foundation for jazz, Hip Hop and bebop. In the song, she reflects: "Rebirth of truth/strength and good things/Live music/Healing music/signwaves that blah music/often over looked music/that keeps us alive/gets us through hard times/time of broken spirits/and broken chords/Bebop still swaggers/with swing."
The core of Sheila’s visual language, which weaves music, art, and poetry, is perhaps most evident in her approach to graphic design. As a successful graphic designer, she refuses to abandon the artist within while embracing all the new technologies and formats available to commercial advertisers.
Sheila is the founder and creative director of SL Prevost Design (SLPD), which specializes in tailoring innovative design solutions to suit its clients. The studio has produced several websites in the past year including its first software tutorial for Eximhub.com, an international trade company. SLPD also produces print media packages, brochures, brand identity, logos, ads, posters and other promotional materials. Her company has contributed to campaigns for such major corporations as Capitol Records, Price Waterhouse, Nike, Hewlett Packard, Essence Communications and Sony Electronics. "I try to give each client their own visual identity and I push the parameters as far as design is concerned. I always go beyond the expectations of what clients think they’re going to get," says Sheila. She’s a stylist who breathes life into the simplest design. "I did a brochure for Nike and I knew they liked funky art so I incorporated some art into it that worked with the design."
In years to come, Sheila Prevost will continue to make an impact in art, music and digital expression. "I hope when people see my art they see more than just a pretty picture. I hope it is something that they feel connected to. I hope my paintings remind people of someone they know, a time in their past. I want my art to have a value in people’s lives and make them feel good," says Sheila.
To contact Sheila Prevost call 212.280.7860 or visit www.slpdstudio.com.
