“Trenton’s Chandelier” The Sommore Painting

There are moments in an artist’s practice when the work feels bigger than the canvas. Painting Sommore was one of those moments for me.

Sommore and I were both born in Trenton, New Jersey a city that has shaped my perspective, my values, and my understanding of resilience. She is widely known as the Queen of Comedy, but to me, she is also a local hero. Someone who left Trenton, carried its grit and humor with her, and carved out space in an industry that was not built with her in mind.

This painting became a way to honor that journey.

I chose purple as the dominant color purple for royalty. Sommore’s presence demands it. She is unapologetic, commanding, and elegant in her own way. I dressed her in a purple sequin jumpsuit, allowing the surface to catch light and movement, echoing the stage she’s mastered for decades.

Sommore is also famously drawn to chandeliers symbols of glamour, illumination, and elevation. In this piece, chandelier crystals cascade from her jumpsuit, draping her entirely. What once hangs above now belongs to her. The chandelier becomes wearable, embodied, inseparable from her power. She is not standing under the light she is the light.

I titled the work Trenton’s Chandelier as a love letter to where we come from. Trenton is often overlooked, but those of us who know it understand its brilliance. As the saying goes: Trenton Makes, the World Takes. This painting reflects that truth talent forged locally, impact felt globally.

As an emerging contemporary artist, my work is rooted in documenting Black presence, achievement, and cultural memory. Painting Sommore wasn’t just portraiture; it was preservation. It was a way of archiving Black excellence that began in my hometown and reshaped an entire industry.

This piece marks an ongoing commitment in my practice: honoring Black figures, local heroes, and lived experience with intention and care. These are the stories worth collecting, preserving, and passing down.

Because legacy doesn’t only live in history books it lives on canvas.