Krystal-Elaine x Borago officinalis alba, Hibiscus “Courage; Individuality”

This painting is of Krystal-Elaine, and the flora motifs for this piece are borage and hibiscus. Her story is one of courage due to health issues at a young age, but her expression shows vulnerability- which shines a light on the dangers of the “always strong black woman” stereotype- a stereotype that would have robbed her and her story of three-dimensionality. To emphasize this, while I chose a flower that stood for courage, I chose the less common, more visually delicate variant of the plant. Borage typically presents as a deep purple flower with dark green foliage.

I also included hibiscus, a flower with personal significance to Krystal-Elaine. This flower holds significance to Krystal-Elaine because the hibiscus is a flower that blossoms and is beautiful even when its environment is less than ideal. But it also symbolizes finding joy in life even though joy is sometimes fleeting. I included this flower to symbolize individuality. Krystal-Elaine travels a lot, and her travels have influenced her personality, unique interests, and worldviews.