Bama is a tribute to Mose Tolliver, the self-taught visionary painter who was born and lived his entire life in Montgomery, Alabama. The title refers not only to the colloquial word for “person” but also to Alabama itself—the place that shaped Tolliver’s art, his voice, and his enduring legacy.
The seated figure in Bama anchors the painting in a familiar, domestic setting, while the floating heads, creeping snake, and patterned objects gesture toward the dreamlike symbolism that often filled Tolliver’s works. These elements reflect his ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, to infuse humor, memory, and resilience into scenes of everyday life.
By invoking Bama, I honor Alabama as both a geographic and cultural ground—a place that birthed Tolliver’s art and where he found beauty despite hardship. The painting is a conversation across time and place, carrying forward his spirit of invention and raw expression while reimagining it through my own hand.
This work stands as both homage and continuation: a reminder that Tolliver’s vision, rooted in Alabama soil, continues to grow new branches.