The Sachs Library

Chesterfield Arts partners with the St. Louis County Library, Sachs Branch to present a series of exhibitions featuring local artists to wide audiences in excess of 200,000 annually.

Past Exhibit

Clayvon Ambrose Wesley: The Journey Series

Shown: September 1st, 2009 - October 31st, 2009

History

The Journey Series began in 1975. The inspiration for this series of paintings came from my visit to New York City in SoHo. While there, I saw all these fire escapes upon which people would use to escape buildings. I remembered the fire escapes that were attached to buildings in St. Louis up and down Franklin Ave before it was called Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. In these fire escapes I saw people and how they would traverse them going and coming in pleasure and in times of emergencies. From here grew the entire series. The Journey Series covers a period from 1975 to 2002.

Introduction

There are three paintings in this series. They are The Journey of An Artist: “The Sloane House”, The Journey Continued: “Our Life Shall not have been in Vain”, and Beyond the Journey: “Passion, In Love Together.”

Journey of An Artist, subtitled “The Sloane House”, is about preparation for life’s journeys. This painting is about obtaining an education in order to make, hopefully, good decisions as we progress through life. It graphically depicts the journey and struggles that constitute life. Journey of An Artist is about peaks and valleys and how everyone is trying to get to some point in life that is rewarding. This painting is about the accomplishments of our dreams and goals. We hope that from our experiences in life we come to learn to understand life is wonderful . . . and that the Journey we undertake can be rich, warm and full – successful. Journey of An Artist is about the development of Familyship and how it connects us to others and ourselves. Journey of An Artist is the intrinsic painting in this series in that it is up to us to want to go from the bottom to the top. No one can make that choice for you. No one can want an education for you. No one can do for you what you can, and/or must do for yourself. Life is not a series of excuses, but a series of obstacles that must be overcome. Therein lays the greatest joy in life. No one is excused from these struggles. This painting represents the Intellectual Enlightenment for the Journey’s Series.

The Journey Continued, subtitled “Our Life Shall not be in Vain”, is about the implementation of your plan. The Journey Continued is about settling into the routines of life. It is about the execution of the knowledge gained from the “Journey of An Artist” and about preparation, unbeknownst to us, for Beyond the Journey. The Journey Continued is the link between the Journey and Beyond the Journey. The Journey Continued is about Companionship and those relations that we develop and nurture as we continue through life. The Journey Continued is the extrinsic painting in this series; in that once you reach a certain level, other people make decisions for you and/or about you. It is their decisions that cause you to move and grow beyond yourself and to execute your plans and dreams. The Journey Continued represents the Spiritual Enlightenment for the Journey’s Series.

Beyond the Journey, subtitled “Passion, In Love Together”, is about the attainment of the rewards from your journeys through life. Beyond the Journey is about the love that you have with people around you, especially your children, your wife and/or mate. This painting is about the beginning of the end. It is about a moment in your life when you look back at your deeds and reflect. Beyond the Journey is about “giving” up your fears that have been impaled on you and/or you have impaled them upon yourself. This painting is about Fellowship and the rewards of sharing good memories with ones you have loved for so many years. Beyond the Journey is about living a good and healthy life, dying, being judged and receiving an eternal reward of happiness and peace of mind relieving you of your stresses. Beyond the Journey, “Passion, In Love Together” represents the Divine Enlightenment for the Journey’s Series and your ability and capacity to understanding your place in the Universe.

The Journey Series is a testament to one’s fortitude and commitment to learn, teach, survive, struggle, participate, endure, encourage, prosper, and receive the rewards for life’s moments; moments that are constantly changing. These changes provide each of us with challenges for growth.