As many of you know, I am very passionate about using the talents God has given me to impact those around me. My personal talent is in the area of art, and I think it is one of the most powerful tools to tell someone's story. This painting is one of my first attempts to do just that.
This painting is of a woman with a wonderful, yet very jarring story. This is Aisha, who lives in Africa. Aisha is a widow and is HIV positive. Even though her own personal life has been everything but easy, she has still chosen to live with hope and to raise an orphan in her own home. Perhaps even because of her circumstances, she was able to see the pain of another person in a similar situation and realized that she could help.
During April of 2013 I had the blessing of going to White River, South Africa. While I was there I got to witness and hear so many stories like Aisha’s. These stories have changed my life and inspired me so much that I have chosen to go back to South Africa after I graduate from high school. I will be staying there for around nine months, and during that time I hope to depict and record many other stories similar to Aisha’s. In this painting I've tried to depict some of the people I will encounter, and what many of their stories will contain. I think the expression on Aisha’s face very well depicts all of the things I will experience and see others experiencing. The content, colors, and composition of Aisha portray the mystery, conflict, hardships, discoveries, bravery, love and beauty I will encounter as I begin this new adventure and story in my own life.
This painting is of a woman with a wonderful, yet very jarring story. This is Aisha, who lives in Africa. Aisha is a widow and is HIV positive. Even though her own personal life has been everything but easy, she has still chosen to live with hope and to raise an orphan in her own home. Perhaps even because of her circumstances, she was able to see the pain of another person in a similar situation and realized that she could help.
During April of 2013 I had the blessing of going to White River, South Africa. While I was there I got to witness and hear so many stories like Aisha’s. These stories have changed my life and inspired me so much that I have chosen to go back to South Africa after I graduate from high school. I will be staying there for around nine months, and during that time I hope to depict and record many other stories similar to Aisha’s. In this painting I've tried to depict some of the people I will encounter, and what many of their stories will contain. I think the expression on Aisha’s face very well depicts all of the things I will experience and see others experiencing. The content, colors, and composition of Aisha portray the mystery, conflict, hardships, discoveries, bravery, love and beauty I will encounter as I begin this new adventure and story in my own life.