Six Triple Eight (6888th Battalion WWII) (2021) (16 x 20 Unframed) big-band ensembles

big-band ensembles

It is a reckoning with time itself

The title nods to the emotional tension echoed in Benson’s Masquerade—the idea of moving through the world behind carefully held faces

time-worn surface

This painting deals with what black girls think about at the most basic level: the journey to be beautiful and accepted

Six Triple Eight (6888th Battalion WWII) (2021) (16 x 20 Unframed) big-band ensemblesThis painting is inspired by the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the "Six Triple Eight" an all black Women's Army Corps battalion. Most of the 6888th worked as postal clerks. Others were cooks and mechanics and held other support positions such that the 6888th was self sufficient. The news article used in the painting was a story honoring women. The group's motto was "No mail, low morale."