i love being black... Print

recognize your light...
Artist Statement

“Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the world?” -Rumi

 Light is a form of energy and there are many different types- a variety of wattages, colors, and levels of warmth. The light in a space can either fit your mood or damper it. It can be either too dim or too bright, and there are times that we have to adjust the brightness so that we can see more clearly or not much at all…

People are sources of light. We come in a variety of shapes, colors, and degrees of warmth. There are those who connect with our souls in powerful ways and wake us up. Ones that inspire us to grow, to reach new heights, or to just be. There are others who fill us with possibilities, fear, longing, love... and believe it or not, we are all these things for other people as well.

These paintings, full of color and expression, were years in the making. Through mixed media collages using acrylic paint, charcoal, acrylic markers, pen, and textured paper, this series explores my interpretation of the light seen in everyday people and common materials. It channels the energy of African masks while playing with the idea of what it means to surround yourself with the light of the ingenuity of the people who mothered creation. It explores old family photos and the light that fueled children of sharecroppers with audacious hope and the determination to migrate north for a brighter future. It seeks to capture the light one discovers in themselves when they leave their comfort zone and begin to see the world in new ways. Overall, this series attempts to embrace the light of the benefactors of a history full of depth, strength, heart, and joy. 

I now realize that this series had taken so long to be birthed because I was on a journey to recognize my own light. It tells a story of a journey that has taken me around the world and safely home, over and over again… A journey that prompted me to take leaps of faith in order to shine in new places and in new ways... A journey that has not only challenged me to connect with things that light me up, but that has also illuminated the light that has been inside of me all along. They were painted as a reminder to pause and remember the beauty of where you are from, to fully appreciate the necessity for where you are now, and to find new parts of yourself to set sweet fires everywhere you go. 

So… 

Recognize your light…and shine.

Product Description
• Printed on Breathing Color Pura Smooth paper (archival quality)
• 300gsm weight
• Matte finish, no surface glare
• Inks are museum quality and feature print permanence ratings of up to 200 years
• Resistant to humidity, UV and atmospheric ozone