This painting is one of eleven of the Black Excellence Series from Ivey's debut exhibition.  As this piece is a best seller, read below to hear the artist's interpretation.

3D Painting: Nefertiti: An Egyptian queen renowned for her beauty, Nefertiti ruled alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten, during the mid-1300s B.C. 

The long sought-after debate of the race of the Egyptians has been long suffering to say the least. Were they white or were they people of color? Archeological evidence suggests the latter. Geography alone is enough to facilitate the idea that an African/ Egyptian climate would have been inhospitable to fair skin- Not to mention, the recent discovery of mummified remains with coarse tightly braided hair still intact.

A much more significant conversation isn’t the color of the skin of the Egyptians; but rather the social conditions of western culture in which texts and films were created to convince Americans that Egyptians (amongst other empires) were fair skinned with dark straight hair and blue eyes. This delusion wasn’t created to simply take credit for the great ancient Egyptian Dynasty, but to minimize the exceptional contributions that people of color have added to civilization which further implies inferiority.  The example of the “white-washing” of Egyptians in America is just one of many. The Mayans, the Arabs as well as the Native Americans were not immune to this appropriation.

The artist’s conclusion of this subject is this:

The persecution of an entire race of people, without provocation is usually an indication of a deeply-rooted fear within the oppressor: A fear of that oppressed people regaining the superpower it once possessed. Perhaps civilizations were forcibly built on their backs because they were once the architects. The Egyptian symbol on her necklace (The Winged Sun) is associated with royalty, divinity and power.

This painting was created as a therapeutic release, when the artist and her significant other had a disturbing experience during a routine-traffic stop.  

Both are African-American and were threatened and demeaned by officers.  This all happened on the same day the tragic Charlottesville riots took place.  She feared for his safety when he was asked to exit the vehicle, considering the many instances of unarmed black men being murdered by police officers. This piece was also apart of the Black Excellence Series.  Click the link below to view painting and read corresponding poem.

Wherever you are in life, it is never too late to follow your passion. Don't worry about what may come from it, just start.  After almost a decade-long hiatus from the art world, I decided on a whim to go back to my roots and and paint again.  What started as one "therapy session" turned into an 11-piece series, a debut charity exhibition and now a business.

"I was always that kid in kindergarten doodling when I was supposed to be paying attention to math.  I still hate numbers.  My teachers assumed I had an attention deficit, when really I was distracted by my natural urge to create.  I was blessed to have parents who paid attention and understood that I was just different.  Eventually in the 1st grade, a teacher noticed one of my drawings and suggested that I should be tested for a gifted-arts program.  If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't have explored my talent further.  I am so grateful to her for that and she will never know. That is why teachers that care are so important.  We spend more time with them than we do with our parents.  She paid attention and helped to introduce me to a world where I felt like I belonged.  In that program, I learned the basics, like how to sketch, use colors and sculpt but it wasn't until my adult life that I began to teach myself how to paint."

-Ivey