Ember Graves

The title of this painting is a phonetic allusion to the phrase, “amber waves of grain’ from the 1893 poem, “America the Beautiful.” It begs to question, “when has America ever been beautiful to the black woman?” Would she be able to simply marvel at the visuals of the countryside like the poem’s author? Of course, not. Although the stories subject is seen aflame, this work is not depiction of pain. Look closely. You’ll notice her smirk. She has been through it, but has not and will not be broken. Thematically, this painting differs from the rest of the artwork in H.E.A.L.E.D., but it’s a necessary inclusion in the body of work, because it’s the only piece that was painted during active chemotherapy infusions.