Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
12 × 12 inch painting on canvas
“In this painting, Lila Alexis Thomas considers folklore as something carried through migration, memory, and ancestral protection. Coming from their Southern Louisiana lineage, Thomas looks toward the movement of Black Southerners to the Pacific Northwest and the ways stories, symbols, and spiritual traditions travel with people into new landscapes.
The work draws from Black Southern folklore surrounding haint blue, a color associated with protection and the warding off of harmful spirits. Shades of cobalt, pale blue, and haint blue create a protective atmosphere around guiding hands and a central symbol. The painting also references ironwork, gates, fences, and door grilles, forms historically shaped by Black craftspeople and builders throughout the United States. Some of these patterns echo African visual traditions, including Adinkra symbols such as Sankofa, which speaks to looking back in order to move forward.
Through hands, color, and symbol, To Ward, To Remember becomes a meditation on protection, migration, and the ways folklore follows people across place and time. “
12 × 12 inch painting on canvas
“In this painting, Lila Alexis Thomas considers folklore as something carried through migration, memory, and ancestral protection. Coming from their Southern Louisiana lineage, Thomas looks toward the movement of Black Southerners to the Pacific Northwest and the ways stories, symbols, and spiritual traditions travel with people into new landscapes.
The work draws from Black Southern folklore surrounding haint blue, a color associated with protection and the warding off of harmful spirits. Shades of cobalt, pale blue, and haint blue create a protective atmosphere around guiding hands and a central symbol. The painting also references ironwork, gates, fences, and door grilles, forms historically shaped by Black craftspeople and builders throughout the United States. Some of these patterns echo African visual traditions, including Adinkra symbols such as Sankofa, which speaks to looking back in order to move forward.
Through hands, color, and symbol, To Ward, To Remember becomes a meditation on protection, migration, and the ways folklore follows people across place and time. “