Sometimes Water Keeps Us Grounded
- Title
- Sometimes Water Keeps Us Grounded
- Creator
- Sydney G. James
Sydney James is a Detroit-based artist working mostly on fine art and mural painting. In 2001, she earned her BFA at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Her artwork can be found at many different museums and galleries in Detroit, as well as the Beats and Lyrics traveling exhibit. James has created murals in at least 8 US cities and 6 continents. In addition to her own artwork, Sydney James is one of the co-founders of the biannual BLKOUT Walls mural festival in Detroit. Her art often focuses on themes of race and gender in America, and her own experience as a Black woman. - Date
- Date of Creation: July 2023
Date of Documentation: November 3, 2025 - Description
- Sydney James’ “Sometimes Water Keeps Us Grounded” mural was painted as a part of the Chroma Zone art festival in the Creative Enterprise Zone district of Saint Paul, MN. Painted on a plain white wall, the mural depicts a detailed portrait of a young Dakota girl wearing a red shirt decorated with cartoon-like characters. She is only seen from mid-torso and up, showing mostly her head, neck, and shoulders. The characters on her shirt are a teal color and have a pinkish-coral hair color. The character on the left appears to be a woman holding and looking at a baby, presumably her own child. The other character on the girl’s shirt is a woman wearing purple robes; her hair is a lighter shade of pink than the woman on the left. She has horns on her head, as well as a halo hovering behind her head and wings on her back. The horns, halo, and wings are all painted in yellow, complementing other features of the t-shirt design. The angel is holding out her hand to show a small boy holding a star. Beneath the angel’s hand, “Hey Momma” is painted in white with a heart as well as a dedication, “Sydney’s Homage to Birdcap XOXO.” Birdcap is another street artist whom James wanted to honor in her mural. Behind the girl is her shadow painted in various colors. The horizontal lines of colors include shades of purple, blue, pink, green, magenta, and red. The girl’s shadow is given texture through dots of different colors and shades, as well as lines that give the appearance of stacked squares.
- Subject
- “Sometimes Water Keeps Us Grounded” is a reflection of youth, death, water, and grief. James based the young girl in the mural on a Dakota girl, although her own identity can be seen as well. The background or shadow was inspired by and created as an homage to George Morrison’s “Lake Superior Landscape.” Morrison was an Ojibwe Minnesotan painter who passed away in the year 2000. Morrison’s painting had strong connections to nature and water, and depicted that through his art, the piece honored in James’ mural showed Morrison’s view of Lake Superior and its ever-changing view. The stacked square effect was thought to be a reference to Morrison’s early works, which were created out of wood. The shirt worn by the girl in the mural is an homage to one of James’ fellow street artists, Birdcap, whose mother was from Saint Paul. Birdcap’s experience with grief was part of the inspiration of this piece, as well as the connection to water.
- Rights
- Artist: Sydney G. James
Researcher: JoLee Karnz - Source
- “George Morrison (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/000/george-morrison.htm.
Melo, Frederick. “Detroit Artist Adds Softer, Spiritual Touch to Multi-Story Mural off Prior and University in St. Paul.” Twin Cities, 16 July 2023, www.twincities.com/2023/07/15/st-paul-prior-university-mural-sydney-james/.
“Sydney G. James.” SYDNEY G. JAMES, www.sydneygjames.com/.
“Sydney James.” Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival, www.chromazone.net/sydney-james?rq=sydney.
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Citation
Sydney G. James
Sydney James is a Detroit-based artist working mostly on fine art and mural painting. In 2001, she earned her BFA at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Her artwork can be found at many different museums and galleries in Detroit, as well as the Beats and Lyrics traveling exhibit. James has created murals in at least 8 US cities and 6 continents. In addition to her own artwork, Sydney James is one of the co-founders of the biannual BLKOUT Walls mural festival in Detroit. Her art often focuses on themes of race and gender in America, and her own experience as a Black woman. , “Sometimes Water Keeps Us Grounded,” Museum in the streets: Murals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, accessed June 7, 2026, https://mspmurals.omeka.net/items/show/152.