“Money: Silver and Gold” is a 48x48” original mixed media portrait of two dynamic and powerful Chicago area activists and organizer, Crystal and Brynne.  The artist chose the title “Money: Silver and Gold” as a reference to the way they are brave and reliable enough to do the hard things in our community, just like hoops players who hit the money shots; and how their hairstyles and coloring are strikingly silver and gold—which is also a form of money. 

Hundreds of hand-torn paper pieces cover the canvas, forming the image and providing the “underpainting” of the final artwork.  The paper is applied in flow, with just the right paper finding its way into the image. For example Brynne’s platinum blonde bangs are largely patterned images of a dress and other clothing patterns, with just a touch of oil paint. Crystal’s hair was created with a combination of golden colored images from magazines on fashion, quilting, gardening and more.  In this piece, iridescent acrylic paint was added to the hair, the glasses, and the blue necklace to enhance the shine. Oil paint is applied only after all the paper collage is complete, to refine the features and bring the elements together. 

This artwork is part of the artist’s series, “Portraits of Liberation, Transformation, and Imagination” where community members were invited to submit a photo and reflection that encapsulate what is coming up for them in this moment in US political history.