American 20th century painter Tim Ashkar is best known for works that portrayAfrican American life and culture, as well as religious themes. To his credit, he has also designed sceneries for television and motion pictures. Even though African American artists have not received the type of fame their counterparts in the entertainment industry have, they continue to contribute to the development of American culture.
Tim Ashkar was born in 1956. He was trained in oil painting for five years starting in 1978 under Judith Serbaroli, daughter of renowned Italian artist Hector Serbaroli. During that time, he learned the ‘alla prima’ technique (translated to English as ‘at first’). This technique was employed by famous artists of the past such as Vincent Van Gogh who used it to create some of his remarkable landscapes. It allows the artist to complete a painting in one session instead of layering the colors during several sessions.
