Word portrait honors memory of George Floyd
“When I watched that video of George Floyd, I was in shock. It’s such a sad thing. Then I saw the ‘#ICantBreathe’ hashtag, and it really hit me. I felt like I needed to take those simple, but powerful words, and put them in a portrait of him.
“I’ve always loved portraiture. I love how everybody’s face is different and how they each seem to tell a unique story. I’ve been doing word portraits since maybe 2012. It’s a technique where you use words to create the image. It’s really interesting work. It’s very detailed. You can kind of get lost in it.
“I would get requests to do people who were deceased. Family members would suggest using song lyrics or a favorite quote. And I would find myself getting pretty sad while writing the words. But I always felt like it was kind of my purpose to do them justice, and to provide something meaningful to the family.
“I feel the same way with George Floyd. I think he has family in Houston. So I’m hoping somehow that this can reach them. Or if there’s some sort of foundation or charity in his name, maybe prints could be made with the proceeds going to support that.
“I feel like we’re kind of watching a movie right now. I mean, it almost doesn’t feel real. But I know it is. I know that racism is alive. It just seems like a lot of people are in denial about it.”
— Sheryl Duncan
Sheryl is an art teacher at Barbers Hill High School. Check out more of her work at Wren Wilder Studio.
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