My new work titled The Black Umbrella was inspired by a South Carolina folktale (ghost story) from the 1930’s called Black Umbrella. This tale was primarily passed down verbally in the African American community. In my adaptation of the story, the young woman represents an artist finding her voice and talent through a strange incident involving ghosts in a graveyard. This theme of an artist’s struggle to forge a path on her own has deep meaning for me personally. I also wanted to pay homage to the gospel singers of this era who tried to build unique careers for themselves against all odds. This piece is part of an exploration on this theme. If you’d like to read my reimagining of the Black Umbrella story and see several of the works based on this tale, please click on the image below.
The Black Umbrella, archival pigment printing, wood engraving, painting on paper, 30x30 inches CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PIECE
