Crowned in Reverence

Crowned In Reverence is a 18x24” hand carved linoleum block print made on archival and acid free Stonehenge kraft colored paper. The print is made using oil based ink and is a multi-block print made up of two linoleum blocks. 

Crowned In Reverence is a piece inspired by the many Black women who raised me, loved me, and inspired me near and far. Specifically, this print is inspired by my grandmother who would decorate her space with cowrie shells and ornate designs. This print features a Black woman with a floral design braided into her hair. She is printed facing herself with a large adkinrahene symbol made of cowrie shells in between. 

Adinkrahene is the name for the Ghanaian Adinkrahene symbol of three concentric circles. Adinkrahene symbolizes royalty, leadership, and charisma. For this iteration, I made it out of cowrie shells as an ode to the tradition of using cowrie’s as a form of money and cowries as a symbol for the great ocean waters— abundant and vast just like the reach of Black femininity. 

Crowned in Reverence is made in a limited edition of 25 and will be printed in small batches until the edition is sold out. The print was made for the group show “Yours, Mine, Ours: Works by the Strong and Sensitive” shown at The Peale Museum in Baltimore, MD October 5-26th, 2024. 

Crowned in Reverence is the sister print to “Still I Rhyse” also made for the group show at The Peale Museum. 

Crowned in Reverence will arrive rolled in a shipping tube wrapped in a protective Glassine paper. The print will come with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Please allow up to 4 weeks for shipping this piece. This will account for printing the design on demand, if needed. 

*Please note that due to the nature of hand-carved linoleum block printing, every print will have its own unique quality. Each edition is inspected to be the best quality and similar, but I cannot ensure exact replica of the print pictured on this site. Part of the magic of printmaking is all of the print-specific marks like "noise" or carving marks that add to the feel of the print. Please take note of this when ordering.