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QUEEN NZINGA’S CORONA

In pandemic my friends keep calling & emailing to check on me during “lockdown”; as the most ‘out-every-night’ social woman Seattle they probably assumed I’d go off the deep end. My studio - too often procrastinated - has become a haven of sanity (ok, all that candy I keep out there is also a lure. Yup, I’m doing my part to “Fatten the Curve” as per Fauci)….

Much of my art involves verbiage/puns and assemblage decorating my frames, plus I've always been a fan of classical portraiture (& people in general). The lightbulb moment struck: CORONA obviously means CROWN as well as COVID, so the CORONA QUEENS (all powerful women, another thing the world needs now along with laughs?) series was born.

Nzinga (1583–1663) is revered as the “Mother of Angola”, she assumed power after her father & brother died (the latter's jealously arranged to have her son killed & Nzinga sterilized to retain his own power) died. Equally a brilliant military tactician and diplomatic negotiator, Nzinga championed the self-determination and cultural identity of her country - Ndongo and Matamba- against the warring Portugese.