Before The Shine (ORIGINAL)

Before the Shine is a layered mixed-media portrait about origin, pressure, discipline, and becoming. Created in response to the idea that “Champions aren’t made in a lab,” the work draws a parallel between the natural formation of diamonds and the long, often unseen process of becoming an artist.
The piece begins with a hand-painted orange and yellow sun, symbolizing heat, energy, and the conditions necessary for transformation. A blue fabric silhouette is layered over the sun, creating the figure’s foundation and representing the uncertainty of becoming. Across the body, Trinidadian flora and fauna are built through vibrant plant fabric and paper cut-outs, honoring the artist’s roots in Trinidad and Tobago and the beauty that continues to bloom through her work.
A hummingbird appears as a symbol of movement, spirit, and elevation. The portrait itself is slowly formed through hand embroidery in natural skin tones, emphasizing that success is not instant, manufactured, or premade. It is built stitch by stitch, through time, patience, discipline, and devotion to process.
This work speaks to the unseen years behind achievement: the pressure before recognition, the discipline before success, the roots before the bloom. It celebrates the artist’s journey from Trinidad and Tobago into a larger creative purpose, while honoring the ancestral and cultural forces that shaped her.
Before the Shine is a portrait of becoming and a visual reminder that champions, like natural diamonds, are not made overnight. They are formed.