Maria created this art piece as a submission for a Black History Month competition. We asked her what her thought process was behind this incredible piece of work.
‘When I was first asked to make this piece, I had no idea what I was going to do. After a while of thinking about it, I came up with 3 ideas for my composition, however, my final piece was neither of these 3 ideas I had, but just inspired by them. So I decided to draw someone I and most of my peers look up to and think highly of, one of my teachers, Ms. Biosah. I think she is a strong woman, which is what I’d like to become, and I also thought she’d be a perfect focus point for this project. Drawing her specifically, instead of an actor or an influencer everyone knows, added an element of personality to the piece as I made it more personal to myself. To follow the theme of “sharing journeys”, in the background, in different colours, I added quotes said by resilient people of African descent, Martin Luther King Jr, Maya Angelou, Simone Biles and a few more inspirational people. I really enjoyed making this piece because what I decided to do in the end was something I was excited to complete and something I felt was a special project.’