Girl with Butterflies (2024), silk and wool yarn on muslin warp, 50 x 40 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery, shared with permissionRegal Portraits Evoke Myth and Power in Simone Elizabeth Saunders Hand-Tufted TextilesMarch 12, 2025ArtCraftKate MothesEmblazoned with vibrant patterns and words like TRUTH and LOVE, Simone Elizabeth Saunders explores Black identity in relation to kinship, power, and survival. Her hand-tufted textiles (previously) merge cultural narratives and history with mythology, nostalgia, and personal experiences. Saunders predominantly focuses on women, who she portrays in bold portraits and within fantastical, empowering scenarios. In recent works like Girl with Butterflies and She Manifests Her Destiny, figures embrace and commune with totem-like snakes, insects, and plants.She Reveals (2022), hand-tufted velvet, acrylic, and wool yarn on rug warp, 65 x 60.5 x 1 inchesRooted in the myriad histories of the global Black diaspora and rich textile traditions throughout countless cultures, Saunders employs a craft technique historically relegated to a role beneath fine art in order to turn the tables on how we comprehend influence, identity, and artistic expression.Saunders is represented by Claire Oliver Gallery, and you can explore more work on the artists Instagram.(Be)Longing IV (2023), hand-tufted acrylic, cotton, wool, and metallic yarn on cotton rug warp, 20 x 1 x 30 inchesGirl with Hummingbirds (2024), silk and wool yarn on muslin warp, 50 x 40 inchesInternal Reflections (2022), hand-tufted velvet, acrylic, and wool yarn on rug warp, 66 x 62.5 x 1 inches(Be)Longing VIII (2024), hand-tufted acrylic, cotton, wool, and metallic yarn on cotton rug warp, 20 x 1 x 30 inchesRelease in Darkness (2022), hand-tufted velvet and acrylic yarn on muslin warp, 66 x 55 inchesShe Manifests Her Destiny (2024), silk and wool yarn on textile backing, 50 x 40 inchesBreak Away at Dawn (2023), hand-tufted velvet, acrylic, and wool yarn on muslin warp, 66 x 56 x 1 inchesNext article