Holding on to who I am
I made Tribal Nights through action painting and acrylic pen work. While making it, I was thinking about the nights I had spent being vigilant, staying focused, and holding on to who I knew I was.
Black, white, red, and gold carry that story. To me, they represent the simplicity of the royalty within me, something I have had to remember and hold onto throughout my life. The tall composition brings those colors together through bold black shapes, red and gold passages, and fine lines across a white ground.
More than black and white
I am a biracial woman. Some people might describe that as being black and white, but my identity is more than a pair of colors. In this painting, those colors sit alongside red and gold, part of the way I express who I am.
Experiences of discrimination at a previous job because I love who I love brought trauma and many nights alone. I had once been social and connected to my tribe of people. After those experiences, love felt lost, and that connection felt harder to reach.
My tribe is still here
Tribal Nights holds the journey of keeping hope through that isolation. Of remembering that I am who I am, and that my tribe is still here. The abstraction gives those feelings a place without turning them into a single literal scene.
The movement of the paint and the more deliberate acrylic pen marks are both part of the piece. Look closer and you will find circles, zigzags, small geometric shapes, and flowing lines. They offer different paths through the work, just as the story behind it holds more than one feeling.
Why unity matters at FREEBRD
This is why unity and acceptance are so important to me at FREEBRD. Recognizing a person's trauma matters. Supporting someone as they heal, helping them hold onto hope, and making room for them to be who they are can be life-changing.
That belief belongs here alongside the artwork. Tribal Nights is a reminder of the identity I held onto, the connection I still have, and the importance of accepting one another.
Live with the artwork
When a space needs a strong vertical focal point, let the contrast of black and white lead. Pick up the red in one nearby accent, or echo the gold with warm tones. Keep the surroundings quiet enough to give the fine marks and the story behind them room.
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