VALORÉ

Medium: oil on canvas Size: 91cm by 121cm.  Simply know this, that am yours,  Plain and simple and that am a queen and I know where am from,  Not bought but given willingly by love,  Cowries and cows, nuts and palms are not my worth,  By my stripes you can tell the length of my sacrifice,  By my toes you can tell how far I have come and journeyed,  My adorning thread speak highly of me,  Check my neck, you can tell by my beads that I am not ordinary,  I am freely, if you let me I could turn your tables around,  Pleasures I can give, in immeasurable bits,  Words I can speak, so much light I can bring,  On your rather sober days, I'd be by yours to burn your inscence and lift your spirit,  But if you ever try to darken my shade,  if i am ever diminshed in your mind, banished from your bed,  if on another you suckle, if you sort another for your pleasure,   if you wither my flower, If my bough is slightly broken by your hands, and a single tears is drawn out of my eyes,   I promise,  I would leave your reign and never return.  This painting is actually talking about the strong personality of some African women who knows and understand their self value and won't settle for less, living with great dignity and pride also with high self esteem, who understand their root and won't be influenced or misspelled to forget her heritage. Lastly my mother was actually the source of inspiration to this painting.