Pattern Recognition
24 x 24", mixed media on canvas

Part of the Portraits of Liberation, Transformation and Imagination series.

This portrait of Linda Francis is built from a full-collage underpainting, with oil paint applied as a final layer to refine the figure and deepen its dimensionality. The technique layers torn paper from magazines to construct the entire composition before any paint is introduced.

Woven into the braid at the right of the composition is a fragment of found text reading "We don't stop playing because we grow old" — relevant due to Linda’s work on the topic of Aging in Community--one of several elements incorporated directly into the collage surface throughout the piece.

The background is composed of dense, asymmetric geometric patterning, drawn in part from a quilting magazine and knocked back with iridescent gold paint beneath a translucent cool-toned oil glaze to allow the figure to remain the focal point. The patterning nods to the mathematical precision of Linda's engineering background as well as the West African-rooted tradition of quilting within the Black American community, where bold color and intentional asymmetry carry both aesthetic and cultural weight. In her reflection Linda noted that she gains strength from her ancestors as well as her progeny, and one of her current passions is serving on the board of Kinfolk CoLab, a community center that prioritizes people of color who seek a safe and affirming space to gather.  These themes also inspired the use of these patterns in the background.