"Still Water" by Vashti Mims - CSPM
Logo for the "50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity" Exhibit Banner.

“Still Water” by Vashti Mims

Women have always been creative. Women have always been artistic. Women have always been artists. Yet, their work has remained largely unrecognized. This is not surprising, considering women’s art represents approximately 10% of works collected by museums. 50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity transforms the CSPM collection to more accurately reflect the complexity, diversity, and uniqueness of the Pikes Peak region. Using historic artwork and artifacts, alongside contemporary pieces, the 50% exhibit creates a beautiful conversation between women across time, demonstrating how they’ve always told their stories through art and creativity.

– From the CSPM Curator of History

Still Water, Vashti Mims, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas

Artist Statement
My Name is Vashti Mims, I am an African American Artist known for my Large Scale Stylized Portraits. African American women are shown in my paintings as the focal point. The Portrait is composed of multidimensional textures, patterns, and colors inspired by sunsets and nightscapes. My own personal issues with mental health have inspired me. My paintings are about the vulnerability and disconnect that comes with living with anxiety and depression. Talking about mental health can be fraught with stigma in the POC (people of color) community. I want to start a discourse about mental health and change how we think about it.  My paintings are inspired by our shared hardships and provides motivation and representation to those who need it. I have also started a YouTube channel to take my story one step further. To inspire others to create, because it’s not if you make art, but what kind of art do you make!? Everyone makes art and it comes out in many different ways! I know how much tapping into that creativity helped me, and I aim to inspire others to do the same.