During the past year and a half, we faced enormous isolation and thus time for introspection.
I turned to sketching then painting to assist me in processing and navigating the concerning political, social and medical catastrophes of 2020.
Many of us struggled, but were forced to swiftly ascend Maslow's Needs Hierarchy -searching for safety, finding love by connecting with out families and finding pursuits which increased our self esteem ( my drawing and paintings) and then reaching the point of self actualization.
As I recently watched a special about the Black Church's role in African American history while simultaneously thumbing through decades old volumes related to Black History, I was blessed with the vison for my newest work, SCARS AND STRIPES, BY OUR WOUNDS YOU WERE BUILT. I painstakingly, attempted to depict the contributions of those of African descent in Pre-emancipation Proclamation US in an acrylic painting. What happened next, was something I never would have anticipated. While discussing a "mistake" I made on the painting, with Selma Glass, an artist friend of mine.. She mentioned, there are no mistakes in art. She implored, never paint over what you perceive as a mistake. She then said she saw my cowboy in the crook of the main character's arm. Perplexed, I replied," I did not paint a cowboy." We then spent the next hour scouring the painting for other hidden images. We uncovered dozens during our first discussion Subsequently. while sharing these hidden treasures with family and other friends, more and more images unfolded.
I know the hidden images, too small and/or complex for me to have deliberately painted, are as a result of some divine intervention and I want share the painting and the enlarged portions(discovered while enlarging them with our cell phones) with you.
Yvette Stephens Crossing from Mulberry Crossing Angel of Hope House, which is not a place but a theoretical achievement of self actualization or peace of mind.
