An artist named Jessica Spence has strived to unleash a protest against the discrimination against black people entrenched around the world. Taking stock of humiliating experiences of black women in public spaces, the New York-based artist has come with paintings reflecting on the beauty of black hair. The bewitching black braids shift the focus from the subjects to their hair.
Paintings are vibrant enough to pull artists to pour out their thoughts through their paintbrushes. Their bewitching spectrum offers the creative souls the fertile grounds to cultivate and nurture their internal voice on the canvas. Thus, it is not a few and far moments to find paintings presenting themes across various domains. An artist named Jessica Spence has used its power to highlight the discrimination against the black looks.
Jessica has been a witness to the obnoxious discriminatory vibes reigning over the minds surrounding black people. The Jamaican-American artist has seen and experienced the affronts that the souls have flung at black women and girls in context to their dark hair and tight braids in the public sphere. Making the humiliating experiences as a pedestal of artistic urge, she moved ahead bit by bit to lay down the itinerary of her art spree.
Finally, she sat down with her art palette arming her artistic moves. She started painting out the beauty of black hair on the canvas. The bewitching black hair began to loom large as she moved ahead. She shifted the focus from the subjects in the paintings to the alluring black braids festooning their appearance. Thus, the characters presented their appealing hairstyles with their faces turned away from the viewers.
The black strands locked together to weave the plot of narration for the artist. Accompanying the hairstyle, the ribbons and plastic barrettes also bloom fully in her works. “Braids and Barrettes” (2018 ) (acrylic on canvas) portrays a black girl presenting the multiple braids lacing her head with blue rubber bands with beads holding them tightly. The red barrettes also put the strands together for her.
“Fearless/Fear-Less” (2019) (acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 inches) depicts the might of a black lady supporting a big hair bun of twisted and braided hair locks. She flaunts her beautiful hairstyle and cherishes the pride by catching her glimpse in the pocket mirror. “Weekends at Auntie’s” (2018) (acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 inches) reflects on weekend mundane lighting up the lives of black ladies. A little girl waits for the completion of her hairstyle as her aunts put the multiple braids binding her hair tightly together.
“Sore Arms” (2017) (acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches) presents an intricate hairstyle embellishing a black woman trying to array her hair. The name of the art piece reflects on the ordeal that they need to take in putting up the bewitching hairstyles.
“Laid” (2019) (acrylic on canvas) (24 x 24 inches) portrays a lady donning a big bun of locked air at the top of her head to highlight the celebrated flexibility of the hairstyles.
Taking on the theme of her vibrant paintings, she shared, “I was inspired to create my current body of work on Black hair in response to the discrimination and chastising experience of many Black women and girls in spaces such as the workplace or schools… The paintings show the beauty and versatility of these hairstyles and highlight the significance of hair in Black culture, while also highlighting these intimate experiences and routines of daily life’.
