(30” x 24”) Oil on canvas 2022

This painting is a tribute to Obeah, a spiritual tradition that has survived through secrecy and lineage. It features an Obeah woman in a state of mystical enchantment where energy is flowing all around her with visuals of her ancestors, her powerful spiritual protectors. They exist within her field as active spirit guides despite them being long gone from this Earth.

Anansi is the trickster spider deity hanging by a single strand between the woman’s fingers, representing wisdom, knowledge, and storytelling. He is found across West African and Caribbean traditions, symbolizing the unseen threads that connect worlds, such as spirit to matter and past to present.

This piece was inspired by a taken interest I had in Obeah and how I heard its magic is supposed to be one of the most powerful in existence. I wanted to make something that would destigmatize this unique tradition by honoring those who belong to Obeah lineages. The true teachings of Obeah have been obscured, misunderstood, and vilified through colonial distortion. Instead of inciting fear and malice, this painting is meant to reclaim Obeah as sacred, ancestral magic that is deeply tied to healing and spiritual sovereignty.