Outside the Lines

Rose L. Williams

Rose Williams with untitled
mixed media

I took my 15 inch square and broke it up into its component pieces. One ten inch, several five and two and a half inch square images of my grandmothers and myself. They are scrunched up and floating aimlessly about, some of the disparate components that make up the whole of me. I wanted to break outside of the box in my self-portrait, as I’ve spent my whole life being forced into pigeonholes, boxes, that were not of my choosing.

black – white – coloured – visible minority – anglophone – allophone – bilingual – runt – sickly – psychosomatic – disabled – exotic – skinny – tiny – petite – crippled – coolie – trinidadian – canadian – dogla – mixed race – non-christian – single mom – …………..

My healing and my journey have brought me to a place where “I am the only author of the dictionary that defines me”. And my artistry affords me an outlet and a means of expressing my soul. A method of sharing my uncontained, unprejudiced, limitless perception of myself that has survived since earliest childhood.

I am thrilled to discover that throughout the creation of this piece I have consistently accessed the joy, sensuality and freedom that artmaking can bring. As well as the frustration, anger and pain that pushing my physical limitations always stirs. The balance is precarious, difficult, challenging, rewarding and creative. Grateful am I for the opportunity to share my inner world, for the acknowledgment of my persistence and courage, and the support I have received from my peers during this process. I know that it will help carry me beyond, into more fulfilling, challenging and art-filled endeavours.