Sariya Barlow
Oral Roberts University

Art statement:

My artworks all represent a different part of me and each one connects to me spiritually. My drawings represent me as a proud independent strong black young lady aspiring to do great things in life. Each drawing represents a different side of what makes me who I am. People are always searching to find themselves and find who they are and what their purpose is for life. Within everyone is a side or part of them that makes them insecure, which is how I felt about myself. I grew up as an insecure person not thinking I was beautiful or pretty as other girls. So my drawings don't just represent different parts of me but they represent the parts of me that I’ve tapped into and become more aware of. The parts of me that make me beautiful inside and out in every way. My most recent two artworks show me as a confident and enthusiastic person expressed through the color orange and they also describe me as a person seeking knowledge. Pieces of a puzzle put together creates a whole image just as my drawings represent me as a whole. My photography specifically represents what I see in plants versus what other people see when they look at a simple plant. Plants represent life and my photography helps represent that life as full and vibrant.