About this artwork

This is another work in Roses and thorns painting series by O. Yemi and was influenced by the movie of Ray Charles’ life.
Born poor and raised by his mother in O. Yemi’s adopted state of Georgia in USA. Ray lost his sight when he was very young around four or five years old. Ray Charles grew up at a time when people of his skin colour were considered less human and were denied equal opportunities with the white people. To imply that Ray Charles used his music to echo the cry of African-Americans during the civil rights movement, O. Yemi changed the wording of his songs - “Unchained my heart” for the title of this painting to “The Ray of Georgia: Unchained my Hands.”

The movie showed many flashbacks of Ray Charles childhood years. The memory of the drowning of his little brother George and his own battles with drugs addiction was the main focus of this painting. On the left side of the painting is Ray Charles playing piano in a concert hall with stems of thorns wrapped around his upper body. Bounded by the stems of thorns is to depict Ray Charles bondage to drugs addiction and “Unchained my hands” here is his own personal cry and struggles to break free from drugs addiction as shown in drugs rehabilitation clinic in the movie. In the middle ground is the curtains of the concert hall drew back to show the flashback of his brother’s drowning on the right side of the painting. The end of the piano turns to laundry tub in which his brother drowned.
Message of the painting is this; since thorns couldn’t prevent the blooming of the roses, poverty or disabilities cannot be hindrances to anyone success.