“They’ll tell you you’re too loud, that you need to wait your turn, and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway.”- Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
This month, The Mint Museum in Charlotte hosts works from 150 artists from the Guild of Charlotte Artists. The piece that I created, one that took me over 160 hours to complete, and used a wide range of techniques I have gained throughout my years as an artist, is HER Sovereignty. This is, by far, the most intricate piece I have created to date and, subsequently, the one I am most proud of. The piece represents a woman’s ability to make her own choices. The piece centers around three defining parts of a woman: mind, heart, and fertility.
Mind
Many people take having the ability to speak their mind for granted. Around the world, there are many people, especially women, who are not afforded this opportunity. A woman’s voice, her thoughts, and her opinions are silenced in favor of obedience and compliance. A woman’s mind can offer a unique perspective, can see things in a different way, and can solve problems in unique ways that only she has the ability to accomplish.
The flowers I selected for this portion: daisies and jasmine
Daisies: symbolize innocence, purity, and simplicity. A woman’s mind is capable of being able to see things in clearly and purely when it is unencumbered by the expectations of the world, society, and those around them who believe they know “what’s best”. The pure, simple, and innocent mind we are gifted as children is capable of so much more when it is allowed to think freely.
Jasmine: symbolize purity and love. Love is what drives many women. Being able to have a mind of purity and love allows women to have the empathetic and caring nature that allows us to be the caring and nurturing beings we are meant to be.
Heart
I see the heart as the center of the body. It pumps life through our body. If the brain is what is responsible for the mechanical processes our body conducts it is the heart that feeds the body. Much like us, as women, are responsible for caring for and feeding our young, the heart is responsible for feeding our body and keeping us going. The heart is also the symbol of love, and love is the nature of women.
The flowers I selected for this portion: roses, lilies, peonies, and chrysanthemum.
Roses: symbols of love. Red roses, in particular, symbolize passion. This is because woman need to follow their passion to achieve what they set out to accomplish. I also chose to use the roses to cover the woman’s bare breasts. This is because the greatest form of love that a woman can demonstrate is nursing their child.
Lilies: represent new beginnings. I chose Orange Tiger Lilies specifically because they represent wealth, prosperity, and good fortune and that is what we hope life will provide for those that we love.
Peony: represents romance and beauty. The heart tells us what is beautiful. Not TV, not magazines, not social media. And every woman is beautiful
Chrysanthemum: represents friendship, happiness, and well-being. The friendships and bonds that a woman creates throughout their life help to center them, help them to define their sense of self. Without friendships, we would never know love.
Fertility
There are many people who believe they can tell you what is best for your body. We, as women, know better than anyone what is best for our bodies, and that is why I firmly believe that we have the right to make choices as they pertain to our bodies. This is something I feel strongly about and hope my piece represents that.
For this portion, I selected: lotus, orchid, and daffodils.
Lotus: represents strength, rebirth, and resilience. A woman’s body is a testament to strength and resilience. Childbirth and what our body goes through every month is extremely taxing and a true representation of the woman’s strength. A woman also needs to demonstrate emotional strength to cope with loss and grieving
Orchid: symbolizes fertility, beauty, charm, and love. Fertility is such an important part of what it is to be a woman. Whether you choose to bear children or not, it is still one of the most defining qualities of who we are.
Daffodils: represent new beginnings, hope, joy, and rebirth. Childbirth is the very definition of new beginnings. The hope and joy that comes with motherhood is unsurpassed by any other feeling on earth.
I hope this gives you a bit of a better understanding of my piece and what it means to me. Do you have a piece that is special to you? Tell us about it and tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.
