“Woman as object” is a subject that has been spoken about for centuries. We tend to assume a male viewer. So, when you have a female artist painting women in bondage, the images can be seen for what they are because the mask of sexism is removed. I want to explore the physical and emotional torture we put ourselves through in the name of “beauty.” What lengths will we go to in order to make ourselves desirable? And are we looking to be desired by others or really searching for acceptance of self?
I see so many of us on a destructive path, searching for perfection. We criticize others and ourselves for not living up to remarkable expectations. We become powerless, unable to speak, and the judgments we make and that are made of us keep us from seeing beauty.
The paintings are all oil paint and charcoal. I tend to use a muted color palette to direct the mood of each piece. Often times I will let the paint drip, breaking the illusion of space. Other times I will use paint thinner to erase pieces of the painting to show impermanence and destruction.
I have used images of Bettie Page as references for most of my paintings. I cannot ignore the connection I feel to her from a basic physical likeness that allows me to paint almost an autobiography without painting myself. Bettie Page is also a woman who was ahead of her time and an example of someone who did not restrain herself; this brings irony to the subject. However, I have started to use subjects other than Bettie Page but whose message is the same as the Bettie Page paintings. I believe these images can speak to different people in different ways and that, in and of its self, is telling of whom we are as individuals.