Princess Tiana
By Dionne Hardy
Let's talk about something found. My object that is in chapter one is my acrylic glass painting of Princess Tiana. I've wanted to create a glass painting for so long, but I was too much in my head. I constantly thought that it had to perfect. And I was just overall scared that I would mess it up. I hate dedicating so much of my time to art for it not to come out as I envisioned it. But for this piece of art, that was not the case at all. I knew this piece was going to come out great, and it did. I thought to myself, "you can never go wrong with Princess Tiana."
The Princess and the Frog was based on, The Frog Princess. It was a princess animation released by Disney in 2009. The film took place in New Orleans. The creators of the movie set it during the time of Jim Crow, and they only just touched upon the racial incriminations going on during that time. The story is about an African American waitress living with insufficient funds, desperate to fulfill her dreams of becoming a restaurant owner. She embarks on her journey after she encounters Prince Naveen, who is already a frog (turned by the shadow man). He mistakes her for a princess and kisses her, turning her into a frog as well. They will stop at nothing to turn back into humans. The major problem, they must find Mama Odie, who is located deep in the bayou. She creates a potion that allows them to turn human, but they must love each other. In the end, Tiana marries Princess Naveen, which makes her a Princess. The turn human again, and she ends up owning her restaurant.The Princess and the Frog is by far my favorite Disney princess movie. I love the movie so much that I think I've watched it more than 20 times. I even have the film on DVD. It brings back so many memories, and I am also saving it for my niece. She deserves to see someone that looks like her and me in the role of a princess. I know for a fact, she will love the movie just as much as I do. Growing up, I even had a Princess Tiana Barbie doll. If only I had known I would become an aunt to an amazing little girl, I would have saved the doll for her. I am still in good spirits because I gave that doll and lots of other toys to children in the salvation army.
All in all, something found for this project was not only physical but emotional. I found the picture frame at my local Dollar General and the reference photo offline. With this being my first attempt doing a glass painting, I think it came out pretty amazing. Not only is the backstory for me choosing to do this piece spectacular, but the piece of art itself is spectacular. I wanted to gift one of my friends with a glass painting, but instead of just sharing the excitement with just one person, I decided to share it with ALL of you!