Sovereign Spirit

"The truth is that predators have no strength and no courage. It is you who are strong, and it is you who has courage. I have lost many a friend over the fact that when they attempt to rip me, they can't. They accuse me of being deceiving; I am not deceiving, I am just made of silk. It is they who are stupid and wrongly take gentleness and fairness for weakness. There are many more predators in this world, so I want you to be made of silk. You are silk." - C. JoyBell I remember when I was pregnant with Lucien, people told me they were excited to see him in my art. I thought they meant actual portraits of him, but now I think they probably meant they were excited to see his influence shine through. So many of the paintings I’ve made since he was born have been inspired by him in one way or another. “Sovereign Spirit” is one of them. Back on Halloween of 2019, he was diagnosed with Blount’s Disease, which is a severe bowing of the legs that requires bracing and sometimes surgical correction to prevent significant pain and struggles with walking. For a short time, he had special braces he wore from his ankles to his hips. But, when we moved to Atlanta in March 2020, he struggled with a difficult respiratory virus and general life changes, so we took a break from them. When his appointment with his ortho specialist in Atlanta came up, his x- rays were no longer indicative of Blount’s Disease. His legs had straightened significantly without the braces...and I cried the happiest tears I’d cried in ages. Lucien has gone through so much, and for his legs to mysteriously straighten so much in such a short time was completely miraculous. I cannot begin to explain the joy I feel when I see him run..especially when he struggled so much with walking. I hope “Sovereign Spirit” emits joy, freedom, boundless energy, and plenty of magic.