This work is inspired by Viola Desmond.
 
I wanted to create a work that somehow combines the quiet dignity and  bold defiance of Viola Desmond’s protest. There is a quiet empty space in the centre of the painting, surrounded by a bold, unstructured spread of colour . The quiet space is representative of Viola Desmond’s quiet stand for what is right, while the spread of colours is the movement for civil rights that this quiet act sparked. 
I couldn't predict just how these marks would land on the page, similarly to how Viola Desmond could not have predicted the influence she would make on Canadian civil rights. I was struck by a quote made by Viola’s sister “we are all just different shades”. With this is mind i chose just a pink and a blue colour palette. As these colours combine on the page they create the purple tones representative of the $10 note honouring Viola Davis and her contribution to Canada. 
I hope that in this work I have suggested how the actions of one person can spread and cause a reaction in others.