Visual artist and storyteller Lamaro Smith shares with us the process, motivation and creation of this artwork.
This piece was created to reflect the current situation occurring in the Bahamas. Properties near and around beaches are being purchased by mega-corporations and real-estate companies. These projects often fence off public beach accesses. Beaches in the Bahamas are considered public parks, therefore, there must always be public access.
The initial draft conveyed a sense of loss and longing. Towards finalizing the color, I redrew the artwork. I chose to depict the boy scaling the fence as a positive message of defiance. Beaches belong to everyone.