Find the message in the art

It's easy to love art, even if we don’t understand it.

For this reason, we asked the artist what inspired her to create specific pieces.

Shay Black Expressions was refreshingly forthcoming about many of her pieces.

We welcome your comments on whether this process enhances your appreciation of the arts.

Shay gave birth to several sons and a lone daughter, but she glorifies women through her art.

She, not surprisingly, honors motherhood and unabashedly admires butterflies and birds. Her loves are frequent subjects of her works.

Men will likely agree with this sentiment: women are to be valued and adored, as portrayed in this piece, a bust with a necklace.

Who does not support this urban Superwoman with a mic?

When your head is full of art, inevitably, your living room will also be. Is there any more space on this shelf?

Art is literally everywhere in Shay’s home studio, including the living room.

Women often find other women somewhat mysterious, like a thousand-piece puzzle. This can be true of women who are well known and strangers.

Do you think of the myriad moving parts of an ancient clock?

Pieces large and small celebrate femininity like this collection of earrings.

Butterflies are so intriguing because they mix extreme fragility with the power to master long-distance flight in all kinds of weather.

Man’s best friend can be decorated with multiple colors and stylized shapes, but he’s still devoted and friendly.

Men often agree that women rule the world, at least in our personal sphere.

Who would deny that women give birth to the world?

This metal book commemorates Shay’s dead son, who was shot dead in Greenville. No suspect has yet been identified and arrested.  The book records his death, significant events and the tragic end of his life.

This is the perfect way to remember your son, happy with the birth of a second generation.

This is another angle of the metal book about her son.

This metal artwork celebrates the curves and uplifting effect of daughters.

Dido

Pretty is good, but to Shay, it’s hardly a goal; honest dialogue is noble and enduring.  She loves to make us think at a higher level.

Certain relatives remind us of awkward moments and situations, especially if they are literally out on a limb.

What is freer than a majestic bird in flight? Can they inspire us to achieve frightening tasks?

Ponder this.

During a military deployment, fellow soldiers retrieved this jeep part for her.  So, she turned it into an artwork, a crescent moon with working gears.

What is more beautiful than the face of a woman?

Unless the many faces of several women.

Study this piece called "Woman Speaks."  Much data enters her head, but it’s what she speaks that gives the measure of the person inside.

Birds are a lesson in celebration and inspiration for all who pay attention to them.

Women, all womankind, are a puzzlement. Who can fully understand her? There is always something missing from our comprehension of her.

Whether at work or at rest, her form is curious, masterful, and awe-inspiring.

A single word choice can resemble one who puckers up.

Long an enigmatic, the raven dazzles us with its cunning, forethought, power, and beauty.

The loss of her son leaves a deep hole impossible to fill.

I may have several sons, but only one daughter.

And one of my sons is lost forever until the next life.