The inspiration for this collection came from a conversation I had with the Founder and Executive Director of the Underprivileged And Underserved Foundation (UAUF), George Goodwine. While discussing race and whether or not every opportunity was fair based upon someone’s familial structure or “starting line,” I was asked the following questions. How does someone overcome these hurdles? How can the playing field be leveled to make things fairer, when others may only have 50 hurdles to overcome in the same competition?
My response was simple. “The person in front of 150 hurdles has two choices. They can either get discouraged before they begin, or start jumping. In the midst of the race they might get tired, unsure, or discouraged, but if they press on to the finish line they may become more physically fit than the person who jumps over 50.”
I used to dance ballet and at the time, there were a lot of hurdles I had to overcome solely based upon inconveniences that came with being raised in low-income, single parent home. Above are pencil sketches and sharpie drawings that I have drawn from actual photos. I plan on making these images my own by adding more abstraction and vibrant color to them.
Over the course of the project, stay tuned to see how these pictures will transform into a work of ART!!! Check out my artwork at theservingartist.com
Drawn with a Sailor/Wancher Turquoise 1911L. The M nib on this pen comes to a sharp point which allows for some line variation not from flex but based on how deep the firm nib digs into the watercolor paper. The Noodlers Black ink is a little dry and that contributes to this effect.
"Heaven was putting distance between her and everyone." ~ A blackout poem from a recycled page of Riding with the Hides of Hell, which now has a new-and-improved title, Burnout. It's a young adult story about motorcycles, a road trip, adventure, and love.
For the past two months ive been participating on the #drawthisinyourstyle challege at instagram. Here are some of the ones i made. Many more on my instagram account @mjdaluz_illustration
I dug up this rock while hiking the Negev desert in Israel last year. It’s sharp and kinda chalky and it feels like it has stories to tell when you look deep into its lines and layers.
"My life vest is in the boat, and I'm in the water." ~ A blackout poem from a recycled page of Riding with the Hides of Hell, a young adult love story now titled Burnout.
"I remember you put a smile on my face. Now I got the crow's feet." ~ A blackout poem from a recycled page of Burnout, an Young Adult adventure/romance story.
