The Face of Celia, Book I &  Celia's  Story, Book II,    combined will soon be available online. 

The Face of Cellia Book I.

The late Civil Rights Attorney Margaret Bush Wilson commissioned me to paint a portrait, of her heroine, Celia, a slave.  Celia was tried, convicted & executed for murder in 1855 for killing her slave master, Robert Newsom.  After a few months, my journey became an obsession.  The trial transcripts gave me a hint of Celia's character, but the true picture came when I   began to analyze the cold barbaric reality of institutionalized human trafficking. Unable to find a written description of Celia, I conceptualized based on her character, Mrs. Wilson's vision and descendent interviews. The sketches in this book show the evolution of success through the rejected Celia portrait sketches.

Celia v.  The State of Missouri 

Celia’s Story Book II

This book is Solomon Thurman’s interpretation and illustration of the events that led to Celia’s death. 

Solomon used this narrative for a book illustration workshop at the Griot Museum in 2005.

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