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Title: "Sentir"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 9"x12"
Awards Received: Scholastic Art Awards (Gold Key)
Additional Details:
In "Sentir" I aimed to showcase the beauty of Black people. The feature highlighted in this piece is skin color. Colorism is a systematic problem within and outside of the Black community. By creating acute details in face structure and the different hues of brown in the skin, I aimed to enunciate the beauty of dark skin.

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Title: "I am Here"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 20"x30"
Awards Received: Scholastic Art and Writing Award (Honorable Mention)
Additional Details:
The inspiration for this piece stems from old family photographs that I discovered while helping my grandmother clean her garage. I had never seen most of the photos before and some depicted family members I had never been fortunate enough to meet. I began to reflect on how all of these people are a crucial part of the story of my life, as I would cease to exist without them. I realized that every decision they made, big or small, subsequently resulted in me being here today. I decided to recreate and paint a baby photo of my sister (top left) and I (bottom right) and tape transfer the photographs of my ancestors in the background to show the true significance they had and have on my life.

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Title: "Plums and Roses"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 9"x12"
Awards Recieived: Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (Honorable Mention)
Additional Details:
In "Plums and Roses," I wanted to highlight the diversity of the Black community by painting a portrait of a Black woman in a Hijab. Islam is practiced in over fifteen African countries, as well as in the United States. At a time when Islamaphobia is constantly increasing, I wanted to depict the religion of Islam and Muslim men and women in a positive light.

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Title: "Noemí"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 9"x12"
Additional Details:
As an avid reader, I am constantly inspired by quotes, characters, or passages read and this sometimes translates to my artwork. After stumbling upon a photograph of the model Nassia Matsa, I knew I had to paint her. Her brooding eyes reminded me of the Gothic era and a character from Silvia Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic."

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Title: "Decay"
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 8"x12"
Additional Details:

"Decay" is a visual representation of vulnerbility.

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Title: "Mirage"
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 8"x8"
Additional Details:
"Mirage" is about self identity and the obstacles that come with it. My teenage years have been ones of maturity, self reflection, and confidence and character growth, but for positivity to exist, negativity must also. There have been times when I did not live up to my or others' expectations of myself. There are times when one looks at themselves in the mirror and does not recognize the person in front of them. This painting is about the feelings of shame that comes with the experience, but also the personal growth that is a consequence of it.

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Title: "Hourglass"
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 20"x30"
Additional Details:
"Hourglass" is about my struggle with body image and body dysmorphia. This painting depicts my younger self's unrealistic body goals and how detrimental this can be on young girls at a very important stage of their development.

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Title: "Le Peur"
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 20"x30"
Additional Details:
I thought of the idea for this painting while juggling numerous commitments I was involved in. While reflecting on the anxiety I was facing, I began to realize that a lot of the pressure I feel is unessasary pressure that I put onto myself. It occurred to me that sometimes I can be my biggest enemy. In the structure of a story, this painting would personify my anxiety as me playing the roles of both the protaganist and antagonist.

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Title: "Sienna"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 9"x12"
Additional Details:
As a black artist, it is almost impossible to not realize that art history is taught through a euro-centric lens. The artwork that the Western world views as most remarkable is created by European artists. In my art, I strive to depict the community with which I identify in the highest regard and showcase black beauty. The paintings "Sienna", "Plums and Roses," and "Sentir", are a part of a portrait series where each one signifies a piece of black features and/or culture. Hair is a huge part of my identity as a young black woman, and I wanted to express this in this painting.

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Title: "Exisential Crisis"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 20"x30"
Additional Details:
"Existential Crisis" is another trip inside my head. I have struggled with anxiety since I was in middle school and like many other people in the world, the pandemic made it worse. The summer of 2021 provided me with many topics to dwell upon. From the recent death of my grandmother to upending college applications to starting school in person for the first time in two years, these events increased my anxious thoughts. Art has always been therapeutic for me and a place to transfer my emotions from my brain to a canvas. This painting depicts me trying to act like everything is okay (blowing a bubble) while the flowers(my thoughts) are laughing and talking behind me. Not noticing that I am not okay, the butterfly (society) mistakes me as a flower.

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Title: "Cibophobia"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 12x16
Additional Details:
"Cibophobia" visually illustrates my struggle with body image and my relationship with food. Many of my paintings, including this one, are about the struggle that pits "Me vs My Brain." As someone who is deathly afraid of snakes, I included them in my painting to further illustrate the fear that used to come with eating and weight as a child.

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Title: "In Denial"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 9"x12"
Additional Details:
Fascinated by the way impressionist painters were able to create loose and bold brush strokes, I decided to push myself and try this technique. The marks on the hands of the subjects are loose and flowy, in contrast to my other portraits, which are heavily detailed.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: "Hourglass"
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 12"x16"
Additional Details:
"Hourglass" is about my struggle with body image and body dysmorphia. This painting depicts my younger self's unrealistic body goals and how detrimental this can be on young girls at a very important stage of their development.

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Title: "Deadlines"
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 16"x18"
Additional Details:

I believe that any student, whether former or current can relate to the meaning of this painting. "Deadlines" is about the stress, anxiety, and pressure that comes from our society regarding academics. There are times where I feel as if I have put my heart and soul into my studies, but due to unrealistic expectations of myself, I feel as those it is not good enough.