Indigo Viola: A Portrait of Viola Davis
- Aja Moon
- Oct 13
- 3 min read
"Indigo Viola" is a 24x48 acrylic on canvas, a deep, layered echo in my collection creatHER: constructing the Black Woman. As a study in contrasts to its emerald counterpart, this portrait is bathed in the resonant silence of indigo, a color that holds the depth of night and the quiet wisdom of the self.
My Artistic Approach
The journey to create this piece was profoundly shaped by sound. The color itself was pre-ordained by the architectural plan of the creatHER collection, where each hue marks a specific point in the seven chakra system. Yet, while painting, I absorbed the story of Viola Davis through her own voice, listening to the narration of her memoir, Finding Me: A Memoir.
The rhythm of her spoken truth gave every brushstroke a deeper meaning and purpose. Her memoir was not simply background noise; it was the metronome of the piece. The weight of her stories—the sheer intensity of her life—didn't change the color on the palette, but it certainly changed the intensity of the application. It made me consider the shadows and highlights not just as light and dark, but as moments of pain and moments of triumph, captured in the stark contrast of the monochromatic blue.
The Person
I came to this piece already a devoted admirer of Viola Davis' work, but it was the deep dive into her personal narrative that truly compelled me. Her story is a testament to the power of self-definition.
What struck me most wasn't any single dramatic anecdote, but the sheer audacity of how she dared to embrace her authentic self. She possessed a remarkable ability to understand how the external world—others—saw and judged her, yet she remained unwaveringly true to the vision she held for herself and her career. That courage became a call to action in my studio. It helped me dismantle the exterior expectations and begin the sacred, challenging work of seeing myself through my own eyes and not through the limiting gaze of others anymore.
How This Piece Changed Me
"Indigo Viola" became a mirror for self-reimagining. The clarity I gained from absorbing her journey has distilled into a mantra I now carry, and one I charge my own mentees with: "Stay true to your evolution."
As artists, we are often forced into a box of expectations—a specific style, a predictable subject. But our talent belongs to us. We get to choose what and how we share. Staying true to your evolution requires constant searching and a fearless willingness to try new things. When you inevitably find yourself cornered by external pressures, the greatest gift is fearlessly kicking the box over and standing on it to see the world from a new perspective. This piece gave me that courage, that fearlessness, that audacity.
The journey through the life of Viola Davis, rendered in the silent power of indigo, was a profound act of self-reclamation. The piece taught me that the truest masterpiece is the continued act of becoming. The original "Indigo Viola" is available for acquisition and prints are available as well.
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