While showing the process, yesterday I took one final trip to the slave trails out in Richmond. From one of the pics, you can see the city. Most of the actual trail is covered in wood chips or some form of pulp. Because this piece is very important to me, I decided to dig down beneath the pulp and scooped up some mud from the trail - maybe less than a 1/4 of a cup. It's been really rainy lately, so I'll need to let it dry for about a week.
From here, I intend to mix the dirt in with the paint and apply it to the canvas, immortalizing it into the painting.
Anyone who knows me knows that because of my upbringing, being raised in a cult, I struggle with religion and God. I honestly don't know what's out there, and I'm fine with that. While walking along the trail where the horrendous act of owning a human was once a part of everyday life, I couldn't help but feel a presence of those countless souls that were forced into lifelong servitude ... and for what?
It was a somber feeling ... mournful and gloomy.
I can't begin to describe the haunting emotion. Maybe it was psychological, I have no way of knowing. But what I do know is that if there is an afterlife, I hope those who walked those trails ... innocent of any wrongdoing of their own, have found some peace in the afterlife.
#slavetrails #richmondslavetrails #richmond #rva #harriettubman
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