Ode to Maybeline Akua | Ode to Maybeline Akua

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This is the sixth painting in my series “Women of Southeast,” an ode to the wide variety of strong women who make up Amsterdam Southeast. It is a series of portraits of women from different cultural backgrounds who posed for me in their traditional clothing.
 

The attire shows the women in their strength and communicates what their cultural background is. The clothing is often still worn on special occasions, such as during a celebration or religious gathering. By meeting these women, I found out what a great driving force these women are in the different neighborhoods of Amsterdam Southeast. Many of them are very active in their communities and strongly socially involved. These Amsterdam women deserve to be put on a pedestal.
 

This painting is an ode to Maybeline Akua, who grew up in Amsterdam Southeast with Ghanaian roots. She honors her background with her business in styling traditional Ghanaian clothing.