With this painting, I wanted to highlight the desire and desirability present in black womanhood. I love television and film, but I’ve found that they often get the black characters so wrong. Unless it's a unicorn like Issa Rae’s Insecure or a gem that we simply didn’t deserve like Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, the black characters fall flat.

I refuse to let my painting fall victim to the tropes so often thrown upon us. My work aims to reclaim vulnerability in black womanhood. By showing the full spectrum of our emotions, I illustrate the rich plurality of vulnerability that lies within us.

Black women hold desire and are desirable. The first time that I was able to pair language with the feeling of desire was listening to Destiny Child’s 1999 album Writings on the Wall. It’s their debut album that featured the canonical is-my-man-cheating-on-me song, “Say My Name.” But “Temptation” was my roman empire. Baby Beyonce soulfully singing about the urges of forbidden longing resonated with baby Tianna so deeply that 25 years later her words became the title of this painting.

boy your body’s calling and temptation is killing me (thou shall not think you got it like that)
2024
Oil on wood panel, foam clay frame
16 x 20 inches