SALTWATER MATRIARCH

Acrylic, Abalone Shells, Salt and Raffia on Linen
48in x 36in
2026

"Saltwater Matriarch" honors Black women as coastal providers. Many were fishers, net makers, and oyster women whose knowledge and labor sustained families, communities, and Black culture along waterways. A Gullah Geechee woman stands at the center, surrounded by whimsical, enlarged finger coral that symbolizes both protection and interdependence. Like coral, Black women exist in multiplicity. Coral is animal, plant, and mineral at once, sustaining life through collaboration and care, while Black women move as life-makers and guardians, bridging communities, culture, and the natural world.