My Own Personal Feminine: A series of paintings based on the idea of desire for belonging and connection. My focus is to explore the realm of memory, femininity, family, and a longing for that something not quite definable. The inspirational materials I work from are very personal, coming out of old boxes of – almost – forgotten family photographs.
Exploring this theme is an exercise in honoring where I've come from, owning my sense of place, and gaining strength in my femininity. As the series evolves it is allowing me to be authentic in my expression, while I develop my technique, and identify as a professional artist. Ultimately, I would like my work to convey something to the viewer that touches them on a level beyond my own initial inspiration for the piece.
Working primarily in oil, graphite, and/or cold wax medium on canvas or wood panel, and now watercolor on cold-pressed paper, my process begins with softly blended layers of paint, building up slowly to thicker applications of paint, or transparent and semi-transparent layers of textured cold wax, so the softness of the initial layers are maintained through to the works completion.
As I continue to develop this series my vision and technique are progressing along the same lines. With a combination of opaque, semi-transparent, and textured areas the image emerges, sometimes revealing, sometime obscuring, giving the illusion of seeing through the veil, like remembering a dream.
