Mama Jewelry Picking Cotton
Acrylic on Paper
30" x 36"
Courtesy of the Artist

Many of my lithographs are based on memories of working with my grandmother, Mama Jewelry. Mama was a field worker who seemed to enjoy what she did for a living. As I picked and pulled beside her, she shared her knowledge and wisdom with me. It has taken me all these years to understand and appreciate her wisdom.

Mama Jewelry and I would get up early in the morning and catch the truck that took us to the cotton fields. Often, we arrived at the fields before daylight. Sometimes the dew would be so heavy until it looked like a cotton blanket covering the field.