When Ayana Ross first started creating art, it was in pursuit of fashion design. “But hindsight is 20/20, because what I was really doing was drawing figures,” she says, and after studying and working in apparel design in her 20s, she shifted to painting. 

Today, her works showcase shared human experiences. “The paintings are supposed to make you slow down a little bit. They offer quiet looks into moments of humanity,” she says. 

Her upcoming solo show at RJD Gallery, Timeless Truths, opens June 1 and runs through July 5. On My Honor, oil on canvas, 40 x 30"

Sheriff on Duty, oil on canvas, 36 x 24"

“Ayana Ross’ works start and end with what is at the core of every human being: love,” says gallery director Joi Jackson Perle. “Through an examination of life in America, Ross explores themes of race, identity and culture woven with timeless truths shared by everyone. Each artwork captures a sense of belonging we create for ourselves through love, joy, perseverance, optimism and community.” 

Ross writes daily, and much of her inspiration for paintings comes from those writing exercises. “Sometimes things are sparked by a concept I was thinking about, an article I read, or a book I’m reading,” she says. She looks through old images and connects them to what she’s been writing and thinking about. “I don’t always know where it’s going when I get started, but I believe in trusting the process. I always start with the figure, or the pose, and from there follow it to the greater story.” Sinner’s Row, oil on canvas, 48 x 36"

Sinner’s Row harkens back to Ross’ childhood and attending a Baptist church. In it, four girls sit on a pew as they await being baptized, each with a different expression on their face. “Behind them, there’s this overgrowing plant that represents a place with customs or ideas that are being relegated as things of the past,” she says, noting that if viewers look closely at the crucifix on the wall, there is a woman on it. 

“I have a soft spot in my heart for the church, but I have my own issues as well,” she says. “The piece addresses the idea that you must be altered or changed in some way to be considered good, and that in the church’s eyes, you might not be enough as you are.” What If, oil on canvas, 40 x 30"The painting was partially inspired by a story from her aunt’s childhood, where she and her friends were reprimanded by a preacher and told to sit in the front row. “She’s much older now, obviously, but she still doesn’t know what they were doing wrong other than just being little girls.” 

The painting She Who Knows, Knows features a little girl holding on to a beloved book. “It obviously means so much to her, and she’s looking out at the rest of the world through a new lens because of what she’s learned from this book,” Ross says. While she worked on the piece (using her daughter as a model), she was thinking about the recent trend of banning books from institutions of learning. “For me, books have opened up my understanding to a greater world than the one I live in, and it’s so important to how we connect with one another.” She Who Knows, Knows, oil on canvas, 48 x 24"

The background of the painting features a gingham pattern which has become integral to Ross’ recent work. “I didn’t quite understand what it was about at first, but I’m coming to see it as a representation of how we all intersect with one another,” she says. Even when people are approaching each other with different life experiences, the gingham demonstrates that there is still common ground. —

RJD Gallery 227 N. Main Street • Romeo, MI 48065 • (586) 281-3613 • www.rjdgallery.com 

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