With my work the goal is almost always more black representation in art. I want black folk to be represented in every single piece I make. Black folks deserve to feel seen and heard in art. They deserve to have ideas and feelings that may not align with what they are expected to think or feel. Black people don’t always have to smile or be background accessories when being represented in art. In my art they are the subjects, and allowed to feel whatever they want. My charcoal drawings, watercolors, and various printmaking mediums capture both the mundane nature of everyday life and unique moments of joy and drama. My artwork encompasses an emotional collection of narratives about contemporary black life. Black people deserve to be seen in all kinds of art. Black people have seen enough black trauma in their art. And black joy in art is not the only representation necessary. Black individuals are not one dimensional, and deserve to have every emotion, thought, and idea explored. They are allowed to exist in art without pain, stereotype, or any other common and played out depiction of them.
Olive Elliott “GRWM” print making water based ink on Stonehenge paper, 13 1/4”H x 15 11/16”W – $100.00
Reflections