The Primal Elemental Abstraction Collection

I paint the scream of a heart that’s been forced to whisper for decades.

Raised by my own resilience, I became a mother at thirty, earned a B.A. in Sociology, and rose through the ranks of the Universal Zulu Nation to become a Zulu Queen and founder of the Phoenix Queens Chapter. After a decade of community organizing, grant‑writing, youth‑development leadership, and a stint as a barista‑cashier juggling two jobs, I finally picked up a brush in 2024.

The spark came from the persistent ache of exclusion – those moments when I felt invisible on the margins of every circle I belonged to, whether it was family, friends, colleagues, or even fellow artists. No matter where I turned, I kept landing on the outside, the one labeled the “black sheep.” This feeling of perpetual outsider‑status became the driving force behind my work. I let that frustration flow onto canvas, birthing Primal Elemental Abstraction: a visual language where earth grounds trauma, fire ignites fierce love, water mirrors adaptability, and air carries hope.

My work is raw, unapologetic, and rooted in the primal urge to be seen, valued, and loved. I invite you to step inside the vortex, recognize the same yearning within yourself, and support an emerging abstract artist’s journey from survival to creation. Phoenix Rising…

Exploring Primal Elemental Abstraction in Modern Art

In a world saturated with digital noise, the most compelling statements often return to the basics – earth, air, fire, and water. Primal Elemental Abstraction is my visual inquiry into those timeless forces, translating the raw energy of nature into contemporary language. Each work channels the instinctual impulse to create, letting the elemental pulse flow onto canvas, paper, or screen.

The Four Elements – Conceptual Overview

Earth – Grounded Resonance

Earth pieces anchor the series in stability and materiality. Thick impasto, mineral pigments, and tactile surfaces echo the planet’s weight. They invite contemplation of roots, heritage, and the quiet strength that underpins every creative act.

Air – Whispered Motion

Air works are built on translucency, negative space, and light brushwork. By allowing the canvas to breathe, they capture fleeting moments – ideas that drift, evolve, and dissolve. Thin washes or metallic foils catch ambient light, reminding viewers of the invisible currents that shape perception.

Fire – Transformative Energy

Fire is the catalyst of change. Bold, saturated hues, aggressive strokes, and occasional splatter techniques convey heat, urgency, and metamorphosis. These pieces speak to the instant a concept ignites, the risk of burning out, and the exhilaration of creative breakthroughs.

Water – Fluid Continuity

Water pieces flow with gradient washes, layered glazes, and reflective finishes. They embody adaptability, reflection, and the perpetual motion of ideas across mediums – much like a river carving new pathways through familiar terrain.

Artistic Process – From Concept to Canvas

Idea Generation – The Primal Conversation

I don’t begin with a fixed plan for what will emerge on the canvas. Instead, I set the stage for a spontaneous dialogue among three partners: the music, my spirit, and the materials.

• Music as catalyst – I cue up South African House tracks – especially the deep, rhythmic pulses of Black Motion. Their grooves create a kinetic backdrop that syncs with my heartbeat.
• Spirit in motion – As the beat rolls, I let my intuition guide my hand, allowing thoughts, emotions, and memories to surface without judgment.
• Paint & canvas as collaborators – With brush in hand, I respond to the music’s rise and fall, to the texture of the canvas, and to the way the pigment behaves. The paint drips, spreads, or resists exactly as the soundscape demands.

The result is a conversation where each element influences the others, and the canvas becomes the third voice. This emergent, improvisational exchange embodies the primal urge to create – a philosophy that Primal Elemental Abstraction is built upon. The “magic” happens when the rhythm, the spirit, and the medium fuse into a single, unplanned expression.

Connecting to Wisdom Born Designs’ Broader Work

Cross‑Disciplinary Dialogue – As an artist, author, and graphic designer, I view each artwork as a node in a larger network of ideas. The Primal Elemental series feeds into my upcoming book, Elements of Creation, where I dissect how visual metaphors ignite imagination and drive artistic practice.

Community Invitation – I encourage collectors to share how an element resonates with their own creative process – whether it fuels a new project, informs a design palette, or sparks a narrative thread in a manuscript. This dialogue becomes part of the living archive of the series, enriching future iterations.