Not Aspiring to be Humble Needlepoint Canvas

"There are a whole lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble, ." - Kamala Harris While humility is a trait that is valued in women, that value is placed by a society that seeks to remind women that they are not on equal ground with their male counterparts, which further reinforces the patriarchal hierarchy.  The medieval style of this canvas comes through in both the lettering and in the illuminated floral border. The calligraphy is painted in two shades of gray, showing the weight of the quill as it presses into parchment. The watercolor florals call back to illuminated manuscripts, from a time when all books were copied and illuminated by hand, when the peasant class had no access to education or social advancement outside of monastic service. Heavy on my mind as I was creating this design was the story of Joan of Arc, peasant girl turned military leader turned martyr, who defied gender roles and turned the tide of a war in her nation's favor, and was later burned