My pieces are abstract. Almost like children… there were no drafted up plans, only feeling, intention and fabric.

While working in a meditative state (centering joy, happy memories + nostalgic tunes), I was able to observe memories and moments of my past that I had not been still enough to absorb. I carved out space to be still; space to see my reflection…

In that time, I noticed that the technique with which I combined and connected materials was more relaxed. No creating with a particular outcome in mind; a gap to fill, a problem to solve.

Flow state was evident in each connection… and its power is something I have unknowingly tapped into for all of my artistic practices.

Is it possible that my natural state is softness and peace? Not restriction and survival?

When creating pieces with more intent, I paid closer attention to the materials I chose and quality of the connections being created. I found myself seeking permanence, order, structure… In this state I contemplated the meticulous nature of my own existence.

How many strings I have tucked into the back of my facade to prevent unraveling at the hands of others…

In the pieces I created for the “Prepare My Place” Exhibition, my exploration of the spectrum/intersection of identity and abstraction is evident.

I am a black girl, a wise woman, a tender keeper of memories… I am the sown seed, the seed Sower, and the wheat reaper.

I am on the journey of healing lineages of spirit wounds, and holding space for our softest parts.

This body of work is a manifestation of my journey home. To walk through the ancestral garden… to reflect on the soft, yet sharp love of black women… to be a Black Madonna.