Gold Wings

“ I wish I knew how it would feel to be free.”

This song is reflected through this piece in many different ways. An important element of this song is the word WISH. I appreciate the honest feeling the song gives of not feeling free quite yet. It reflects REAL life and how we are still working toward freedom on many different levels. The gold wings on the young girls back captured in my submission, are spread wide. To me, that reflects the aspiration of freedom but her hands are still down; signifying the fight that still remains. The wings behind her also signifies the power that she doesn’t realize she has. To me, this young girl is unaware of her golden wings. The young black girl is a reflection of me. She is a reflection of my daughter, the future. The colorful abstract details represents the artistry of her life. It represents youthfulness and the beauty in things not being so PERFECT & structured. Her red shirt represents the blood, love, fight, and passion of our ancestors. Her curly ponytail gives her youth & also culture. I paid homage to this beautiful song by including the song lyrics within the portrait. I think this is a beautiful interpretation of how these lyrics from an old song still holds so much weight and value today. It shows the influence of the creatives before our time. My style of art is free handed and abstract. It is simple yet full of depth. My art is vibrant and unapologetic and all of these values are a complete reflection of my journey as a black woman, a mother, and an artist. My journey isn’t perfect, some may not understand it or appreciate it. But I am a reflection of the people that see the beauty it in. It took me years to be comfortable with myself on so many different levels. Being proud of my scars, my emotions, my body, my experiences, my history. With my art, I aim to encourage woman to take up space. I see myself in my work. I see the prayers of my grandmother. I see the fight of my mother. I see the love and the future of my daughter. I would love to present these values to the world by contributing to this mural.