The “Americana” series is the perfect occasion to release these amazing cowgirl tile
scenes. The concept for these was simple: take an icon like a cowgirl and modernize
it! Rise Up is based on the classic World War II poster, “We can do it,” which was
initially created to promote both male and female workers in the Westinghouse factory.
However, the poster later became a symbol of Women’s Rights and is now associated
with, and often called, “Rosie the Riveter.” Wanting to give the cowgirl a modern look
that represents the women of today, tattoos, a cowboy hat, and wildly-colored hair
were added. The tattoos and hair color obviously represent diversity and power, and
the ability of today’s women to choose different looks and represent themselves
however they wish. The technique used to create these designs was anything but
simple. The images were drawn using digital drafting tools, then a grid was placed over
the image with each block individually created using a Western icon, along with the
element of the design that corresponds with the tile. Each Cowgirl has 324 individual
blocks that, when combined, create a beautiful, powerful image. Each of the blocks
are mounted at varying heights to give the piece even more depth and dimension. A
favorite aspect of this series is how they seemingly change the closer you get to them:
as you draw nearer, the individual pieces and icons hidden throughout the design
become more noticeable.
