Description
The Songbird series is the second progression created to highlight specific musicians for black history month. The five pieces pay homage to blues and jazz songstresses of the early/mid 1900’s. These women weathered through turbulent times, overcame some seemingly insurmountable challenges and left their mark on the world. Shying away from more realistic style portraits, I wanted this series to mirror the sultry, playful, but frank nature of the musical genres highlighting both contrast and balance. Although Bessie Smith was mentored by the legendary Ma Rainey in the early part of her career, her talents emerged ate the early age of 9. From performing on street corners with her brother, to being crowned the “Empress of the Blues”, Bessie stayed true to herself til the end!
