Curls and Curves

My Mom and I holding "Curls and Curves"

Artist Statement

"Celebrating Shades of Black Beauty" is a new series I started with my Mom, Claire, that mixes my illustrations with her digital paintings, dubbed "Sun Angels." "Curls and Curves" is the first piece in the series, and it focuses on embracing dark skin, large curvy bodies, and luxurious natural, kinky hair. We've wanted to collaborate for years by doing something around celebrating Black women. We created this series to represent fem Black bodies of all shapes, focusing on plus-sized bodies and illustrating the beauty of 4c hair because it's still seen negatively in society and our communities. These ideas stem from my Mom not feeling represented as a plus-sized/curvy Black woman and my self-hate experiences regarding my hair and what I perceived as body flaws. Additionally, we are maddened by how dark-skinned Black women are treated negatively in media, so most of the art in this series will showcase the beauty of dark skin. The background and hair colors are taken from her ClarityIsJustSoHip (Insta: @clarityisjustsohip) designs while I drew the bodies."

Featured on

Boston Compass Newspaper

Black Superwoman Chronicles

"My Edges" Choreo-Poem, featuring "Curls and Curves" and Tab & Kait Productions (CW: Poem Contains Outdated Ableist Language)

My Mom and I were volunteers and artists featured in a disability virtual art show, "Discovering a Place for Us" hosted by LA mental health organization, The Painted Brain. 11 artists in total worked together to combine artworks, poetry, dance, voiceovers and more to create an accessible experience for all disabled folks. My Mom and I worked with Tab & Kait Productions to bring "Curls and Curves" to life through a choreo-poem. We realized my Mom's poem, "My Edges" which is a piece about body positivity and self-worth, perfectly paired with the project.

See more about Tab & Kait Productions

"Learn more about "Discovering a Place for Us"

This 2021 piece, “Protect Black Women,” was inspired by Megan Thee Stallion surviving her attacker shooting her foot. After the attack, she said, “BLACK WOMEN ARE SO UNPROTECTED & WE HOLD SO MANY THINGS iN TO PROTECT THE FEELINGS OF OTHERS WITHOUT CONSIDERING OUR OWN. IT MIGHT BE FUNNY TO Y'ALL ON THE iNTERNET AND JUST ANOTHER MESSY TOPIC FOR YOU TO TALK ABOUT, BUT THIS iS MY REAL LIFE, AND I'M REAL-LIFE HURT AND TRAUMATIZED." It was something that deeply resonated.

There’s this rampant idea in the Black community that we can’t be mentally ill. We go through so much already; why would we wanna deal with another thing that’ll marginalize us more?? The stigma of Black women being more assertive, aggressive, and pain-resistant exists in and outside our communities, making it harder to be taken seriously. Growing up, my African-American relatives made it clear: My Blackness comes first – don’t identify with being a Black woman - no, I could only be “Black.” Male figures in our family were always centered. On the other hand, the effects of the intergenerational legacy of childhood domestic violence had my Bajan family members trapped in patriarchal mindsets.

My Mom taught the opposite & it’s why I started creating artwork about these dangerous attitudes.

Curls and Curves

Practicing Self-Love

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