‘Lemon Elbows’ (Print)

‘Lemon Elbows’, 2021

Ada of Two Rivers Alternative

Art Print – 19″ x 26″
Original: Acrylic, Marker, Cork, Copper on Paper

This piece symbolizes my inner work process with the racism I experienced from a foster mother who made my sister and I bleach our elbows in lemon halves as depicted by the figure’s highlighted elbows. The elbow mountains represent the struggles I continue to overcome with internalized racism as a result of her forcing this particular racist practice and its message on us. The lemon head represents the psychic internalization of that conditioning; the splitting of the head is a symbol of my own split from that paradigm, with the lime emerging from the split lemon head. The opening of the lemon with the emergent lime also represents my ability to hold the complexity of my relationship with my foster Mom who also offered her rescuing love in the form of the best Iced Tea made with her rescuing love, the mint from her garden, and of course, lemon & lime. The lime, a favorite addition of mine, represents my ability to transform the wounds of racism.

As an Afro-Latina woman, orphan, and former foster child, Ada’s first experience with creativity was largely as a writer. Writing poetry helped Ada make meaning of her early childhood trauma which included the loss of her family, language, and culture as well as the displacement she experienced growing up in foster care. Since Ada’s early school experience with art didn’t encourage coloring outside the lines, she grew up not believing herself to be artistic.

Ada faced her fear of Art and began a rewarding relationship with the Muse and her art. Today, Ada is a Human Potential Educator and Consultant in her own private practice in the Greater Philadelphia area, working with artists of various mediums. Ada supports them in reclaiming and sustaining a relationship with their own nature and creative process.