Adding pieces to an art collection provides a thrill like no other. It’s like finding that perfect pair of shoes– you just know you have to take them home. I recently found my latest buy on Facebook! Artist Adrian Blake posted his latest creation in a closed art group with caption:

My latest acquisition!! (claps hands and smiles like a kid)

It was love at first sight.

I was struck by how Blake achieved such dimension and texture in the painting– a beautifully interpreted black woman’s body submerged in water. You can see the movement as the subject appears to dive, feet first in to the water as the artist captures the moment her torso is fully submerged.

I imagine the freedom of swimming naked in a local lake, carefree and radiant.

I also imagine diving for a different type of freedom– that of resisting captivity on a ship by jumping into the sea as one’s final act of defiance.

Beauty beyond the pane has two meanings. The word pane is meant to be used as a pun, where the canvas surface acts as a pane of glass, and the viewer is looking beyond that the to the beauty behind it which is the figure. The figure itself is beautiful, but each person has their own pain, but their pain is overshadowed by the outward beauty we see as we lay eyes upon each other.

Talented artist Adrian Blake in action

As I enjoy this original piece for years to come, I’m sure it’s meaning to me with morph and evolve. You can share in that joy with me by supporting the artist’s work here.