Strength by Natasha Stover
Medium: Mixed media on paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Artist statement: “I’d like to dedicate this piece to my dad, Terry Stover, whom I recently lost in June after a 14 month battle with brain cancer. He was 56. My dad was always a huge inspiration to me especially because he was a fellow artist, bu thwas also one of my best friends. After my incarceration in 2015 at 19 years old, he always reminded me that the circumstances that brought me to prison do not define me, or deter me, they only continue to strengthen me. The quote on my painting is taken from the song “Throne” by Bring Me the Horizon, and with the things my dad taught me, this rings very true. I feel like people expect once you’re incarcerated, it’ll define you for the rest of your life in a negative way. However, my incarceration has only grown me into the strong and confident human I am today. I intend to be a force to be recoked with once I’m home (3.5 years, goddess willing). So this is me, when everyone expected me to go to prison and become a lamb, I’ll bare my teeth and show them the wolf I’ve become who WILL come out on top through all of my trials and tribulations. RIP Dad. I love you.”
Image description: Tall evergreen trees and foliage frame the silhouette of a wolf that howls at a vibrant orange and purple cloudy sky. Inside the wolf are the words “Throw me to the wolves, tomorrow I will come back leader of the whole pack.”