Crowned in Reverence

Crowned In Reverence is a 18x24” hand carved linoleum block print made on archival and acid free Stonehenge kraft colored paper. The print is made using oil based ink and is a multi-block print made up of two linoleum blocks.  Crowned In Reverence is a piece inspired by the many Black women who raised me, loved me, and inspired me near and far. Specifically, this print is inspired by my grandmother who would decorate her space with cowrie shells and ornate designs. This print features a Black woman with a floral design braided into her hair. She is printed facing herself with a large adkinrahene symbol made of cowrie shells in between.  Adinkrahene is the name for the Ghanaian Adinkrahene symbol of three concentric circles. Adinkrahene symbolizes royalty, leadership, and charisma. For this iteration, I made it out of cowrie shells as an ode to the tradition of using cowrie’s as a form of money and cowries as a symbol for the great ocean waters— abundant and vast just like the reach of