Requiem in color(s)
The Chalk Line
With the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,
Trayvon Martin and many others, who were killed at the hands of Americans
police officers
I reflect on lives lost—gone forever, but not forgotten. Encountering a space
shaped by a chalk outline, I was struck by how the infamous chalk line can
signify both presence and erasure. This series is my response—an act
of homage expressed through painting—engaging themes of loss, reflection,
memory, and healing.
The work continues to evolve alongside what has taken place and what
continues to take place, shaped by my experience as an American, an
African American, a mother of a Black man, a grandmother, and an aunt.
Sharing part of an ongoing series.
Trayvon Martin and many others, who were killed at the hands of Americans
police officers
I reflect on lives lost—gone forever, but not forgotten. Encountering a space
shaped by a chalk outline, I was struck by how the infamous chalk line can
signify both presence and erasure. This series is my response—an act
of homage expressed through painting—engaging themes of loss, reflection,
memory, and healing.
The work continues to evolve alongside what has taken place and what
continues to take place, shaped by my experience as an American, an
African American, a mother of a Black man, a grandmother, and an aunt.
Sharing part of an ongoing series.
Unliving for the City
(28.5 x 36; Mixed Media on Tarpaper)
The figure lies outlined, arms wide, in a gesture reminiscent of
crucifixion--evoking both sacrifice and surrender.
The red handprint over the heart is not just blood, but a witness.
It is my hand, once used in healing, now offered in
remembrance.
The pose echoes both the Crucifixion and Da Vinci’s Vitruvian
Man, holding tenderness and torment together.
The chalk line
becomes a boundary, a halo, and a silent cry: someone
was here. Someone mattered. Someone is still being held.
Hold over painting (description will appear). Click to see a larger painting.
