Faithe Norrell
For Faithe Norrell, the journey back into the art world was a leap of faith. Read more of our Interview with Faithe by clicking here
Faithe Norrell is a self-taught artist who paints on a variety of surfaces including canvas, clothing, and furniture. A hallmark of her work is the juxtaposition of vivid colors with a sense of balance. She creates abstracts, cityscapes, florals, still life, multi-media collages, and exotically themed landscapes. Her human figures suggest the style of folk or cubist abstract art, and rhythm and movement are key elements in her work.
In addition to painting on canvas, she has a successful business, “Pleasin’ Honi,” painting on clothing. Jazz themes, flowers, abstracts, stylized faces, and colorful animals are a few of the images she paints onto pre-constructed clothing and shoes. She often bleaches and distresses denim pieces and reconstructs them into whole new articles of clothing. She creates one-of-a-kind pieces of clothing art for each client.
In the 1950s, formal art lessons were not available to a child of color in Richmond; everything Faithe has learned has been through experimentation and practice on her own. She is excited to have arrived at a point where her art is appreciated and collected by others outside of her village.
In addition to Crossroads Art Center, Faithe exhibits her work at several galleries in Richmond and in the Black History Museum of History and Culture. She has had numerous pieces selected for juried shows and art auctions, has been featured in Virginia Living magazine, and participated in the Richmond Symphony Orchestra League’s Designer House in 2018. Her painting, “Lady Link,” was chosen as the signature piece for the Richmond Chapter of The Links Incorporated 10th bi-annual art auction held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2019. Many of her paintings are in private collections throughout the country
