"Black Girl, No Voice"

“I am dripping melanin and honey. I am black without apology.” - Upile My art piece is a portrait of a depiction of a black girl. I wanted to communicate the importance of a black girl who is versatile with her hair (rather it’s considered natural or not.) I decided for her not to have a face to show a “mystery aspect.” She does not have a mouth to show how in today’s society African Americans don’t have a voice to express themselves politically. I believe that this piece connects to some of my previous work because it is a portrait. This is my first time ever creating a very powerful message like this piece. I am proud of this piece because I believe this artwork is relatable and it conveys a message. I believe that this message conveys a contemporary one. A message that can be seen from years down the line like Frida Kahlo’s artwork and can create an emotion for the audience to interpret. When creating this portrait I used several materials. The materials I used to create this portrait are a pencil, charcoal, watercolor paint, a paintbrush, a piece of paper, and pastel crayons. The technique that I used to create the texture of the hair is by drawing stroke like hairs and gently rubbing my fingers to create “smudge” like marks. I believe that this technique was crucial to this art piece because without it the hair wouldn’t look realistic. In conclusion, I believe if I could change one aspect of this project, I would change the fact that I have fewer details, but I am content with my work. I believe for this project I truly put my best “pencil” forward. I think that I created a very powerful message for a small piece of paper.