Bloom Where You are Planted by Nichole “Pariah” Hollingsworth (Heart Bloom)
Medium: acrylic paint
Size: 14 in x 10 in
My painting is inspired by the women I’ve grown close to while incarcerated who have life sentences and/or an unreasonably long time to do in prison. The bleeding heart is the soil where the seed of empathy is planted. The seed takes root through the watering of truth; causing solidarity to bloom in beauty.
Before I painted on the canvas I wrote a prayer on the canvas so it would always be a part of the painting. This is the prayer I wrote:
“Lord, I dedicate this painting to you and to your people who are incarcerated. I dedicate this to Barbara “50” Turner and Felicia “Woody” Jackson and all your children who are sentenced to life in prison. I praise you for the changes you have orchestrated in these lives Lord – And I pray that you set these children of yours free. In Psalms 146: 7-8 you said “you set the prisoners free, you open the eyes of the blind, you raise up the oppressed.” Lord, set these women free, to bring glory to your name. Lord, in Jeremiah 29:11-14 you said your plans for your children are plans to prosper, to give them a future and hope. Give these imprisoned women a future Lord; give them a hope. You said when they search for you with all their hearts they will find you – let them find you Lord. You said you’d restore their fortunes and gather them from where you banished them. You will restore them to the place from where you took them. Restore them Lord. Bring your people back from exile for your names sake. I thank you Lord, for all of this in advance, and I praise your Holy name – In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.
Barbara “50” Turner
Felicia “Woody” Jackson
Christie Bottoroff
Susan Williams
Celeste Blair
This prayer is not only for the women I personally know but also for all the incarcerated people in this wonderfully “free” country of ours.
