#browngirls

New work! Finished up an old sketch that was laying around.

Brown Girls Sneak Peek! Series premieres Feb. 15! 

the official Brown Girls trailer! With music from #JamilaWoods and #LisaMishra. Written by Fatimah Asghar and directed/produced by Sam Bailey. Series premiering early 2017

check out this little teaser for Brown Girls.

Full trailer drops next week. 

3 days until we start filming! Here is more series art by Olivia Willoughby–www.teacups-of-ink.tumblr.com.

https://www.gofundme.com/browngirlsseries

We are only 4 DAYS out from the start of filming! To celebrate, we are bringing you 4 ‪#‎browngirls‬ that we are obsessing over: Bethany Thomas,Samantha Jo,Janel Bailey, and Jenn Freeman!!

Samantha Jo: “I want to see us in the most positive light. What does that look like for a woman of color? We need to define that for ourselves. But I feel like we will. I see the revolution coming.”

Bethany Thomas: “There’s an unspoken connection [between women ofcolor]. I feel like I’m a part of something bigger. A lot of us are in situations where we’ve felt like outsiders, but you get to the other side of that eventually, and you realize you are a part of something more.”

Janel Bailey: “I feel like black girls are often overlooked, and when we are included it’s only because we are black. I’d like to see more alternative black girls, black girls who do weird shit, black girls who do roller derby, black girls who date white people and are still black.”

Jenn Freeman: “I am interested in seeing everyday relatable black women in media, like my grandmother and mom– people who are familiar to me. Everyday black women inspire me. Living, surviving, being. You’re on the bus, I’m on the bus. We’re in this together.”

The Brown Girl that we love this week is the show’s writer and creator, Fatimah Asghar!

“I really believe in working towards solidarity between different woman of color. Whenever I am around women of color I feel at home, there’s a certain kind of ease that happens. I want to see woman of color in more complicated roles, exploring our friendships with each other across races, the way that we show up and take care of each other. I want to see a world that looks like mine, and the people who let me know it was okay to be my fullest self.”

Check out some of the Brown Girls’ series art by artist Olivia Willoughby! To see more of her stuff at www.teacups-of-ink.tumblr.com

Still wondering how you can help this series come to life? Donate to our GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/browngirlsseries

A #TuesdayTreat for you guys from the strong #BrownGirl Sasha Smith! 

“I’m sick of ‘digestible brown’– a brown that’s easy to swallow. A brown where white is still the norm.”

Super excited to announce our new web series: Brown Girls. Written by Fatimah Asghar and produced by yours truly. We start filming this summer!

Dope Series Art by Olivia Willoughby @teacups-of-ink

check out more about the series and all of our work at www.ournamesaresam.com/browngirls

Made of gold

#funinthesun #sun #burn #tan #sunburn #blackgirls #weburn #toomuchsun #bikini #tanned #lovethesun #bikinifun #laproblems #beach #love #beachfun #golden #fun #sunny #cali #organicmovement #calilife #la #browngirls #chocolate

tamil music UPGRADE : enjoy enjaami by dhee x arivu

“Indrani”

Part 8 & the final piece of the ‘Desi Remix’series.

[Remix of Time Saving Truth From Falsehood & Envy by Francois Lemoyne]

Indrani, also known as Shachi, is one of 7 Matrikas (a group of goddesses depicted together as the divine mothers of war and emancipation). She is also the goddess of wrath and jealousy. But most significantly, she is known for developing the concept of “Shakti”, which means power, or the “personification of feminine creative might”. This power manifests through female embodiment, and is believed to be responsible for all creation and change in the universe. She founded the idea that the female companion is the most important “Shakti” of all, and because of this she was seen as independent from all other goddesses.

Additionally, Indrani personified a reversal of traditional gender roles. While most goddesses of this time period derived their names from their husbands (for example: Varuni–wife of Varun), Indrani’s husband, Indra, derived his name from her. He was also occasionally known as “Shahchipati”, meaning one who possesses Shachi, or feminine energy. By definition, her alternative name Shachi states that women are the source of all power. The name Indrani translates to queen of gods.

In early Vedic literature, Indrani was depicted as the female shadow of her husband, which further defied the dominance of male gods, who almost never associated their wives as essential forces during battle. In this depiction I challenge mythological gender roles by taking it a step further. Here we see Indrani saving her husband and standing at the forefront of the fight- a true reversal of the typical “damsel in distress” scenarios of this time period. Since Indrani herself defines power, her strength is not tied to any male characters. She’s strong enough to stand on her own, which is why metaphorically she takes a buff, muscular form. Her Shakti is one that can be neither created nor destroyed, making her role one of a kind in Indian feminism and a pillar for feminine worship.

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[Please note: The figures in this composition are not made up characters of my imagination. They are historic/ cultural figures, which is why their physical appearance is purely based off literary & scholarly research in order to maintain utmost accuracy to what they looked like in real life. Any alternate interpretations other than what is listed above is completely non-intentional or reflective of my views as an artist.]

“Mohini”

Part 6 of ‘Desi Remix’ series [Remix of “The Murder of Paolo & Francesca” by Joseph Noel Patton]

Mohini is the female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is known for being an enchantress and for driving lovers to madness. Her name itself is derived from the verb moha, meaning “to enchant, perplex, or disillusion” and her name as a whole translates literally to “delusion personified”. 

Mohini also has a destructive side known for slaying demons. One day, she intervenes when she sees the ash demon Bhasmasura, who has the ability to turn anyone to ash by touching their head, misuse his power on the very god who granted him this ability. Upon seeing Mohini approach him, Bhasmasura is so breath taken by her that he immediately asks her to marry him. Mohini agrees, but only on the condition that he mimics her moves in a dance. As she precedes to charm him she cleverly places her hand on top of her head. So entranced, he unknowingly repeats the move and reduces himself to ashes.

Here you see a more metaphoric depiction of the 2 sides of Mohini. On one hand you see her as the enchantress, pure, seductive, and deceivingly innocent in white and on the other hand you see her as the demon slayer, ruthless and unmerciful in red.     

“Savitri” 

[Part 4 of the “Desi Remix” series // Remix of “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt] 

Savitri is so beautiful & pure, she intimidates all the men around her. 

When it comes time for her to get married, no one asks for her hand, so she sets out to find her husband on her own. She goes on a pilgrimage & eventually finds Satyavan, the son of a blind king living in exile in the forest. 

Although perfect in many ways, Satyavan was destined to die within a year. However, knowing this and despite many advising her against choosing Satyavan, she decides to marry him anyways. 

The day Satyavan is predicted to die, Savitri accompanies him into the forest. While cutting wood, Satyavan suddenly becomes weak and falls into Savitri’s lap. Yama, the god of death, comes to take Satyavan’s soul but Savitri chases after him as he carries her husband’s soul away. When he tries to convince her to leave, instead she fires back with her wit. Yama, impressed by her speech, praises her and offers her any wish except the life of Satyavan. Thinking carefully, she first asks for her father-in-law’s sight to return, then a 100 children for her father, and finally a 100 children for her and Satyavan. Her last wish leaves Yama with a dilemma, as it would require Satyavan to be alive. However, impressed by Savitri’s dedication & determination, he changes his mind and decides to grant her any wish, including Satyavan’s life. She instantly asks for his life back & Yama blesses Savitri’s life with eternal happiness.  

As with all the women of this series, Savitri is another example of beauty beyond the physical. Her words have their own strength & she proves that there is power in action. She defies all “damsel in distress” storylines of mythology & ironically turns them upside down to stand up for a man. If “herstory” exists, it’s because of women like this. 

“Visha Kanyas”

For part 3 of the desi remix series I chose to illustrate“Visha Kanyas” (poisonous damsels). These young women were used as assassins against kings and other powerful enemies. They were often sent by kings to kill their enemies by seduction and giving their targets poisoned alcohol. It was believed that their blood was extremely poisonous to humans, and that even a single look or touch could kill a person.  

“Visha Kanyas” is a remix of “Hylas and the Nymphs” by John Williams Waterhouse, in which Hylas (the companion of Greek God Hercules) is abducted by water nymphs. 

Part of my goal is to easternize western paintings, but my main goal with these remixes isn’t necessarily to highlight religion or to make religious iconography. I see a lot of young desi women trying to rebel against traditional images of how desis have been depicted in the past and how they should look in order to create a new image of what modern desi women look and feel like today. I definitely support this notion, however instead of using my paintings to create a single snapshot of what the modern desi looks like, or instead of rebelling against my culture in any way, I’d rather create a scene that shows women taking action. I don’t want to make portraits to suggest that how I paint someone is what I believe beauty should look like because then the conversation becomes just about what we look like on the outside. I make paintings rooted in mythology because it tells a story of women doing things their way and being powerful. So much of history in Indian mythology is about men fighting epic battles, but you don’t hear enough about HERstory. I want to show examples from our past to prove that not all traditionally depicted women are weak, shy, or whatever other stereotypes give us negative sentiments about who we are as Indian women today. The point is that there are stories to be told that show action, not just questions about beauty captured in a single way. Whether this power comes through women defeating men by trickery, using seduction to get what they want, or going as far as killing men, these stories all show women having the upper hand, which if you ask me, defies stereotypes just as much as being a “rebel” or changing up our looks. 

When you and your friends all get J.D.s together 

The Most Irresistible Beauty Is A Radiant Glow Make Sure Your Follow @brilliantnbrown ❣️

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