Limitless: 24 Remarkable American Women of Vision, Grit, and Guts

Tinari opens this collection of portraits with an explanation of the project’s origin. After working on portraits of U.S. presidents, Tinari’s “resentment began to grow. I had just spent months painting and researching men and only men.” The death of Carrie Fisher inspired her to create the first portrait of what would become her American Women series. Joining Fisher (whose image graces the cover) are Louisa May Alcott, Aretha Franklin, Carol Kaye, Yuri Kochiyama, Lozen, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Dolly Parton (the latter, she says, “wrote some of her best songs strumming with fake nails”). Tinari brings a decidedly punk rock sensibility to the images, adding vibrant splashes of neon color to the subjects’ hair, faces, and clothing; word collages relating to the individuals’ lives work in visual tandem with the images. On end pages, Tinari offers biographical information and descriptions of each individual’s “powerful moment.” While there aren’t as many women of color depicted as one might hope, Tinari’s paintings are commanding and true to their subjects. Ages 10–up. [em](Nov.) [/em]