Freedom To Fly

Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 24 x 24
Availability: Available

Artist Comments

"Freedom To Fly" 24x24 oil on linen

These are my Prayer Paintings I am sending out to our world.

This painting is very dear to me. It started as a vision of this beautiful model being lit by the moon. Then I read this fabulous book The Invention Of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd . Recommend! In it a slave who was the family seamstress, creates quilts from leftover scraps as a way of teaching her daughter their history. She pointed out that the black triangles were crows that represented the black people who once knew how to fly. This painting started evolving during COVID and the murder of George Floyd.

I grew up with my Alabama mom pointing out individual pieces of the many quilts given to us by her mom. She would tell us about this or that piece being made from feed cloths and that it was from my grandmother's apron or a favorite dress Mamo sewed my Mom. I loved all the stories and images it provoked.

I researched Freedom quilts-those that were used to guild the runaway slaves towards the north, food and safety.

The bottom edge of this painting is based on the Flying Geese pattern. Sometimes a single triangle was made of red cloth pointing the way.

This became the border that represents our past- one to be honored and remembered but does not bind and weigh us down. Instead we evolve and grow from the seeds of our history, the triangles turning into ravens in flight, to soar up with freedom into the Light. Many blessings to all of you .