Some time ago, I followed the account @freckledhijabi on Instagram. I don’t exactly remember how I found the Instagram account of artist Sumaiyah Jones, but I’m glad I did. Jones’ page is full of her beautiful art. She paints ethereal sweethearts, glistening landscapes, and sparkling “Fairies Of Color”.
What Jones calls “Fairies Of Color” are paintings exactly as they sound: mythical and magical portraits of women of color as fairies.
In an interview with Elle Magazine, Jones explains the origin of her “Fairies Of Color”. She says, “When I was younger, I was obsessed with a fairy and in particular one book about fairies that I can’t remember the name. Through the whole entire book, there were no women of color really, except the baby.” The lack of diversity in the fairy culture that she loved as a child inspired Jones’ determination to represent WOC in her art. Jones aims to provide the world with a new image of a black woman. “I feel like having something as delicate as fairies is a perfect new portrayal of black women. When we’re complimented, we’re usually complimented as fierce and independent and strong, and that’s wonderful but we can also be delicate and sweet, and kind, and radiant. A lot of pieces I like to make are where black fairies can be strong and delicate. It’s okay for us to be a little soft, or delicate, or shy, or quiet, or radiant and bright and a bit more quirky in a way.”
Another aspect of Jones’ fairies has raised a lot of questions from her followers. The portraits don’t have eyes, but this is done with the artist’s intent. On April 5, 2018, Jones posted on Instagram a thread of her tweets explaining why she chooses to do this. The tweets read, “As a woman of color (and a muslim) I noticed that people like to form a strong opinion on my heart and the person I am as soon as they see me. They may think I’m a terrorist for my hijab or a submissive, quiet Muslim girl. (News flash: I’m neither one of those sweetie!) They assume my attitude and characteristics. If I’m upset, I’m an angry black girl. If I’m quiet, I have an attitude. If I’m loud, I’m ratchet or in the Muslim community — not modest or I just want attention. To avoid this soul guessing in my pieces, I don’t paint the ‘window to the soul’. My fairies are known by what they radiate. The colors that bounce off their skin and the sceneries that reflect their hearts and homes.” I love the way Jones executes this idea in her art, because these fairies are absolutely radiant.
I’ve been following @freckledhijabi for a while now, and I so appreciate Jones’ talent and the message behind her work. Jones is actually opening a shop for her art to be sold online on February 14, 2019, and I hope to someday invest in one of her pieces. If you love diversity, art, and beautiful “Fairies Of Color”, give @freckledhijabi a follow.
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