I was so excited to start Fran's book. Everybody ahead of me really put a lot of energy into their work, and I wanted to do the same. Her book is so rich in detail, texture, and color. She told us to have fun with it, so I did. My goal was to create a textured landscape using cardboard, burlap, handmade, painted and printed papers for the ground. I focused on the poem by Amanda Gorman read at the 2021 inauguration "A Hill to Climb." Next, I will write an excerpt from the poem, "Somehow we've weathered and witnessed" which to me relates to Black peoples ongoing struggle in this country for our humanity in the midst of constant assault. I decided to use layers of acrylic paint for the sky, starting with a deep blue of nght to the warm oranges and yellows of sunrise. These images show the beginnings of my process, from identifying the papers I want to use, including cardboard, newspaper, handmade paper as well as hand printed, food packaging and painted ones.
I decided after a lot of experimentation to make a collage of monotypes and paste paper for Kamala's book. I originally wanted to create an image relating to the Black Panthers that would have explored that organization and its roots in California and their presence in Chicago, but also reference the movie Black Panther and its huge impact on blacks in America and around the world. I thought with the recent death of Chadwick Baseman it would be a significant phenomena to include in the year 2020.