PHOENIX — She is part business owner, part teacher, and part creative genius. If you mix it all together, you get one fly girl!
Kelvonnah Stidhum is the mastermind behind Fly Girl Prints, a collection of artwork that celebrates both Black culture and elements of the Sonoran Desert to create breathtaking artwork that not only leaves a lasting impression but makes her audiences think - and feel.
"When I think of fly, I think of how it’s used in slang," says Stidhum. "Like a girl who is fly. She is stylish…But at the same time looking at the art, it’s a bit of a double entendre."
The art that Stidhum is referring to is her Fly Girl Prints collection - portraits, tote bags, stickers, and more - all celebrating natural hair and other elements of Black culture.
Using her iPad, a stylus, and her boundless imagination, what started as a simple side hustle and passion project has blossomed into something much bigger.
Stidhum, a South Phoenix native who also teaches art at Roadrunner Elementary School in Phoenix, admits she eats, sleeps, and breathes art. It's something ABC15's Nick Ciletti got to witness for himself, seeing Stidhum sell her artwork at a marketplace for Black-owned businesses earlier this month.
"I love displaying something that I created and having young girls and women come up and say they see themselves."
It is social commentary that meets surrealism; even though the women in her portraits don't necessarily speak, they're communicating an important message.
"A lot of my work has to do with Black hair, women, and the importance of self-expression in the styling of our hair and how we use it in our culture. And also, the strength in cacti...We know Arizona can be a dry and harsh environment to thrive in. And I think that is similar to Black women and Black culture, being able to thrive in those semi-difficult conditions."
For more information on where you can see Stidhum and purchase any of her Fly Girl Prints masterpieces, click here.
