Carlow Phillips

Self Portrait with Red Tail Hawk Wings

The pose for this self portrait is directly referenced from a family portrait of my grandmother Smokey when she was approximately my age. I am the first artist in my family despite both my mother and my grandmother’s interest in art, which neither of them took farther than a hobby. To represent this inheritance, I am holding a paintbrush and wearing a silk scarf of Smokeys. My role as an artist is tied both to my past, and to my future with the red tail hawk wings signaling my independence and freedom to pursue a career in the arts.