Acrylic on canvas, signed at lower left, gallery wrapped canvas.

40 x 30 in.

From the Collection of the late Dr. Lee Vernon Stiff, Raleigh, North Carolina Dr. Lee Vernon Stiff was born in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. A consumate mathematician, Stiff earned his B.A. in mathematics from UNC-Chapel Hill, an M.A. in mathematics from The Pennsylvania State University and Duke University, and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from NC State University. After teaching for several years at UNC - Charlotte, Dr. Stiff joined the faculty at NC State University in 1983. He remained at the university until his retirement in 2020, at which time he was the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the College of Education.

In addition to his passion for improving mathematics education for all students at the state and national levels, Dr. Stiff was also a supporter of the arts and a creator as well. He was an early creator of music videos in the 1970s, while still a graduate student and before the medium took off with the advent of MTV. Later in life, he was president of Morgan's Mark, an independent film production company based in Los Angeles. Additionally, Dr. Stiff was a proud supporter and patron of local, regional, national and international visual artists.

Tariq Mix earned his BFA from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 2004. Now based in Columbia, South Carolina, Mix is an award winning figurative abstract artist. His work takes cues from great Black American artists like Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence to capture the beauty and strength of Black American culture.

Good estate condition.