Her gaze is steady, forward-facing, and filled with quiet authority and unyielding strength. The vibrant yellow petals and unwavering orientation to the sun, the sunflower is a sacred symbol throughout this series. Similar to our culture, we are both rooted deeply and always reaching toward light. We represent joy, endurance, and the act of remembering.
In this portrait, I wanted to capture the essence of a goddess in human form by showing strength in stillness. The energy that nourishes the land, our language, and spirit is shown in the blue sky stretched endlessly above her, while tall fragile grass emerges from the sand to symbolize endurance. She is a woman in communion with the land, not above it.
Her full face is revealed at the end of the series, but here she is seen in her becoming. By remaining anonymous until the final image, she represents not one individual, but every Gullah Geechee woman who has carried legacy through land and across time. It speaks to our relationship in how the land shapes us and how we, in turn, honor it. By placing this modern deity in the natural elements of our coastal heritage, I aim to depict her as both of the earth and beyond it.
