"Lady"

I did this painting back in 2008. It's one of my most sold prints and it's one of my unusual ones. I say unusual because this time around, I only used one medium: oil pastel. I remember reading a book about being a woman and went on from there. I remember telling myself that it wasn't necessary for me to draw the male figure because I only wanted to focus solely on the woman. I don't have any elaborate story to share for this piece, however, I would like to add one of my favorite poems by Lucille Clifton as a description of the theme/idea behind this painting.





Homage to My Hips

these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top


-Lucille Clifton