8x10” mixed media oil, soft pastel, and Stabilo pencil, float framed, with the words “blessed and glorious” in my trademark tangled script, down her right shoulder.

Please click on each image, to see the whole thing.

I am obsessed with my soul sister friends. There’s a long, emotional story behind my setting out to paint black and brown skin. A beautiful African-American queen challenged me at my very first tent show. She came into my space, and loved what she saw.

She asked me, point-blank, “Why do you not have any black skin girls?” I blushed and confessed it was because I had tried, but had not been happy with the results. I simply did not know how, yet.

(I’m getting emotional again, just typing the story)

She promptly commissioned THREE paintings. Her confidence in me was palpable. She knew I, a complete stranger, would go home and work until I got it.

I gave her the amount owed as a deposit. She paid in full. (!!)

You better know I went home, and about a month later, shipped her paintings.

I’ve been painting my soul sisters obsessively since. I’m also thrilled to let you know that our church, Harvest Church Knoxville, on some Sundays, is almost a “black church”. We are definitely diverse. And rowdy in our praises.