I Breathe with You

I Breathe with You

2026
Acrylic on Canvas
24in x 36in

Artist Statement 

Often, I am too "cool" to participate in group sing-alongs. Traditionally, I keep my singing voice confined to my studio and shower. However, when Fred and Tim performed the Sankofic traditional song "Sedet Kulai YAeen!"—which translates to "I Breathe with You"—I was inspired to join in and sing along. After the third round of call-and-response, I eventually joined the intimate group of party attendees in song.

This piece spotlights Fred Johnson and Tim Cowell as they perform at Wonder Works in Gulfport, Florida, during the launch party for Michele Stone’s podcast, Artist Bridge to Abundance.

Fred is on the left, depicted with his Kordaphone. He explained that he made it by hand from a gourd. The inside of the gourd is lathered with cemetery dirt to ensure that the wisdom of the ancestors is infused in every note. Tim is stationed on the right, playing his famous bass guitar.

They performed 4 other songs before closing with "I breathe with you". Each song was composed on the spot from words suggested by the audience, each song more hopeful than the last. With each passing melody, Fred and Tim united a room of relative strangers.

I created this piece to commemorate a beautiful moment of togetherness and to remind you that I breathe with you —that everyone is part of a collective community. I needed that reminder that I wasn't alone and how quickly I could find community. We are all united and in this together.

I breathe with you!