The Three Graces

The Three Graces 48x60 Oil 2020

There is not much of a backstory for the The Three Graces. In 2008, I gifted myself a trip to Egypt in celebration of my fiftieth birthday. It was a wonderful adventure and the sites surpassed all my imagination. While on the tour, I took a picture of three ladies from Brooklyn, NY, who were part of my tour group. I always thought there was something special about the photo and twelve years later, it served as inspiration for this painting. I’ve tried to capture their grace, beauty, and charm, in this modern day interpretation of three graces.

The painting is part of my patriotic series in that I reimagined the center figure donning an Obama logo. The trip was in August of 2008 before the November election of President Obama. While in Luxor, some of the Egyptians chanted Obama’s name to us in support of his run for president. It was great to see that he inspired so many beyond the US, even before his election. Although no Egyptian references are in the painting, it will always remind me of that trip and the incredible people I met on the tour. For viewers like you, I hope it just illustrates the beauty of sisters, friends, mothers(our queens)….and the pride many of us were feeling in connection to the election of our first African American president. Yes we can!