My deepest desire was to express in this portrait, Korlah’s indomitable spirit. I also wanted to do justice to her incredible, radiant beauty. Over the course of our meetings and correspondence I tried to learn about her interests and passions, in the hopes of incorporating them, in some way, into the piece.
To create “Korlah” I knew I would use her favorite colors, but I wanted to hand paint bisque tiles so that I could create natural variation and shading within each color. I also hand sculpted many different images that corresponded with various aspects of her life and dreams. I like to use images like this in unexpected ways, to elaborate on her story. Once all sculpting, glazing, and firings, were complete I was ready to mosaic!
With much anticipation and the portraits finally complete, all of the models and artist came together for a wonderful evening of empowerment through art. The survivors saw their portraits for the first time.
“Korlah” is made almost entirely from hand sculpted and hand painted bisque tile. The space around Korlah represents her poetry and rich inner life. It is filled with text and images reflecting her many interests. Mannequins, dancers, and musical notes represent her fashion designing and dancing, while text points not only to her poetry, but also her aspirations to make a positive difference in the world. Her shirt is reminiscent of a traditional African design, paying homage to the pride of her heritage. In the shirt I hand sculpted children’s hands, representing her charity work and desire to help inner city women and children in need. There is a dove of peace over her heart, more dancers, and also shoes, purses, perfume, clothing, and flowers representing her love of femininity and expressions of creativity.
Korlah sees her piece for the first time.
This fantastic experience was not the end. The artwork will now begin to tour the world and be added to by other artists and survivors.
The exhibition has already scheduled projects in New York, London, New Zealand, China, Mexico, and the Congo and other parts of Africa.. As it makes its way, I’ll be sure to keep you posted!