Oya In The Rice Field Print
This 12" x 18" print is inspired by my friend, the textile artist Zenobia Harper, who embodies her Gullah Geechee ancestors. She started the Gullah Preservation Society of Georgetown to honor their story. Georgetown was the center of rice production in the US and thousands of Africans were brought here to establish and maintain the rice economy. Oya is a goddess of the wind and storms, responsible for gentle winds as well as hurricanes. She is also the protector of women. I had no idea what would happen when I asked Zenobia to pose for me. I didn't know that Oya would show up in the painting or even who she was. But when I finished that's what I heard. So I named the painting and then googled to find out who Oya was. It works that way sometimes.
The original is 36" x 48" and includes both West African and South Carolina rice grains. It hangs in an historic home in Georgetown, SC.