Even Butterflies git the Blues © Marilyn LaGrone-Amaral
I was raised in the perfect alchemy of the magical lore of the south in
the Mississippi delta that spoke to me in ancient whispers on soft summer
nights.... and the very concretive realities of New York City that kept the
edges of my instincts sharp...One of my greatest influences was my father.
My father was an exceptional artist and painter as well as a great spirit he
was also one of the" Tuskegee Airmen" . I have inherited much from him.
My mother was an educator and a pianist. I grew up embraced in and
encouraged by the creative forces of my family, that allowed me to explore,
stretch and discover my creative" selves ." During my childhood and in my
high school years my father and I would share his studio , which was in our
house in Brooklyn, N.Y. He carefully instilled into my young hands and my
wild unblinking inner eye to really "look" and "see" digest, and then execute
with feeling and mood and always rely on blood memory.
I won several scholarships at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn N.Y. for the gifted
youth program. I attended Washington Irving high School and Performing
Arts High Schools both in N.Y.C.. I studied modern Dance and received a
scholarship at the Martha Graham school ...and was torn for years between
the two art forms, until I learned how to let them complement and enrich
each other in my work with movement, shape and balance. I graduated at
the the top quarter of my class with an Academic Art Degree from Washington
Irving. I attended Ohio State University where I was an Art major and Dance
minor, however I also attended the Juillard School of Music for modern Dance.