“MY ONLY OPTION WAS FIDELITY TO MY OWN SENSIBILITY” (TONI MORRISON)

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These words leaped out at me from Toni Morrison’s foreword to her book, Sula. They serve as an excellent reminder to me, to prioritise my own sensibilities in a world in which women and people of colour are often put into boxes, gaslighted, made to feel unworthy or unqualified, or held to expectations modelled on others or for the convenience of others. The words fit how I felt while making this piece - after experimenting with multiple strokes and patterns, I came back to something that simply felt right to me, visually, and in feeling.

The book itself is remarkable, and indeed, the striking protagonist follows this creed as well. This piece marks the point I felt right about finally sharing what I was creating in my years of creating art beyond my personal circle - aesthetically, qualitatively, and emotively.

30h x 40w x 0.75d (inches); acrylic, charcoal, wax on wood-backed canvas