Psalm 18:34 honors women of color with disabilities, particularly those who wear prosthetic limbs. My fascination with this subject began during my time in a college prosthetic limb club, where we designed custom arm prostheses for children. Some of the designs featured characters such as Spider-Man and princesses. Seeing the children’s lit up eyes and smiles when they received their custom prostheses sparked something in me; I began to see them as real-life superheroes whose strength extends far beyond the limitations others may perceive.

That same sense of strength and tenacity is reflected in the women I painted. To me, their prosthetic limbs echo the strength and endurance of medieval armor. The piece’s title is drawn from the Christian scripture passage Psalm 18:34: “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”