Sacred Waters 2: Sanctuary

This piece is part of a current series in development called Sacred Waters 2, a multimedia installation incorporating digital projection, sculpture and mixed media paintings. This is the fourth painting in the collection. Referencing the era of slavery in American history, this image depicts a "praise house" which I think of as antithetical to the "big house" depicted in a previous work "Antebellum." Unlike the big house, the praise house was the space where people of African descent could lower their guard, focus on each other, and sing songs for spiritual upliftment. The grand oak almost embraces the house, giving it a loving hug. The grass is make of okra seeds, which were brought to the Americas by the Africans that carried them over during slavery. This piece serves as a direct contrast to the earlier work, and shows the strength, cultivation and beauty created during this period by African descendants. The music I researched to inspire this piece can be heard here:

Motherless Child: https://www.loc.gov/item/lomaxbib000555/

Go Down Moses: https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-11026/

This piece is available for sale. To learn more about it and others like it, click here: