This is a portrait of Olympic medalist Simone Biles. I created this for my series of notable Women of Color for my exhibition in February 2022 for Black History Month.

After making a list of women to include in this series, I begin with a drawing — the foundation of all my artwork. The hand-painted papers I use for these collages are painted before I begin creating the portrait. Each month I paint my collage papers so I have a large stack of papers ready to go. I use tracing paper to cut out the individual shapes and use a glue stick to temporarily tack the shapes down while I work. Elmer’s glue is used to permanently adhere the shapes and I use a paper towel to blot off extra glue. When the work is completed, I use an UV varnish to protect the collage.