D. Douglas
Demeree, artistically known as D. Douglas, is a Jamaican-American mixed media artist born and raised in Connecticut. Graduating from Temple University with a Bachelor’s in Studio Art, Demeree wanted to find a unique way to make a breakthrough into the art industry. However, it wasn't until years later, in 2016, that Demeree's own personal natural hair journey gave her the inspiration needed to embark on her current body of work. A common theme you’ll see is a reflection of herself - a black woman daring to “normalize” black hair by journeying through life embracing her own natural curls.
Demeree’s collection of work explores women of color who are a part of the Natural Hair Movement - a movement that encourages men and women of African descent to embrace their natural hair texture. Demeree hopes to motivate those to love and celebrate their curls through her paintings. She often incorporates materials such as flowers, glitter and alike to globally represent the beauty of black hair. Demeree uses her paintings as a voice for the silenced woman who may feel pressure to straighten her hair and hide her heritage to satisfy society’s standards.
Although Demeree’s work centers around natural hair, you will find many different hairstyles that are exclusive to her culture and community: faux locs, braids, flat twists, and ninja buns for example. Her pieces often include abstract elements to represent the numerous interpretations behind not only black hair and black art, but the black woman herself.
Events
June 2018 - Art For The Cash Poor - Philadelphia, PA
July 2018 - Annual Bridgeport Arts Fest - Bridgeport, CT
Oct. 2018 - Urban Art and Wellbeing: Talk Back with Artists of Color - New Haven, CT
Jan. 2019 - RAW Connecticut Presents: REFLECT Wallingford, CT
Feb. - Mar. 2019 - Nappy: A Celebration of Black Hair Exhibition - New Haven, CT
Oct. - Nov. 2019 - City Wide Open Studios - New Haven, CT
July 2020 - Black Lives Matter Street Mural - Stamford, CT
Aug. 2020 - Black Art Matters - New Haven, CT
June 2021 - The Mane Event: Kinks, Coils, & In Betweeen Those Roots - Solo Exhibition - New Haven, CT
September 2021 - The Hair Gala - Hartford, CT
September 2021 - Make it Melanin Art Show (curator) - New Haven, CT
April 2022 - Love Notes 2022 - New Haven, CT
May 2022 - Spring Into Art West Haven Bar Crawl - West Haven, CT
May 2022 - Vendor Expo Pt. 3 - Hamden, CT