Moving Forward: Child's Play

I officially completed my second term of graduate school this past week. There were moments that felt downright frustrating and overwhelming. I contemplated terminating my registration in the program but I was reminded quite frequently by friends and by my own incessant thoughts, as to why I must persist. I am moving forward...in life, in art, in living out loud! My classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design have been unexpectedly challenging but incredibly rewarding. I realized how much I have to learn about the discipline I most love... all of the theory, criticism, and formal elements of art are still swirling in my brain .It seriously made me think hard about my own work and its place in the contemporary art world! I intend to make my way.

So in my painting class, I continued to explore the concept of "Child's Play," as inspiration for symbolic visual, multi-figure narratives. I'm basically telling stories that address the importance of role playing among children as a vehicle for self exploration, understanding and self expression. My work is very personal and is intended to convey a sense of familiarity, comfort and intimacy. I believe our greatest inheritance as artists is our life
experience and personal history. I have drawn upon my own discovery of art and imaginative play as a way of making sense of traumatic and disturbing occurrences in childhood that shaped who I am and how I think. My intent however is to feature children who exhibit strength, resilience and who utilize creativity to cope and thrive.

My work incorporates themes of danger, concealment, vulnerability, protection and unification. There is reoccurring symbolism which includes the headwear, the flamingo and barbed wire .I will work to further expand this symbolic visual language and a more defined cast of characters relevant to the theme of the ritual of play and the protection of children.

The works of narrative painter Paula Rego , photographer Sally Mann and outside artist, Henry Darger, have significantly influenced my recent artistic intent and desired aesthetic using children as my primary subject matter. All create provocative imagery with psychological and symbolic underlying content.

So these images are reflective of my recent efforts in Painting I at SCAD. I am moving forward and not looking back!

New Work: Seeking Solace

Seeking Solace   2011     

The immediacy with which this piece unfolded during two brief sessions, surprised me. The use of multiple processes and media , reflects the lack of focus that I seem to be experiencing as of late. I don't feel settled enough to commit to a long term composition that might demand greater attention to detail or careful use of materials. I loved that I could switch from collage to painting, then drawing with ease. My mind switches from past to present to future, from pain to pleasure ,to sadness ,then hope throughout each painting session. The movement and fluidity of this work, successfully helped to quiet my mind.

What a gift it is to finally appreciate and use my love of painting, to calm my head and heart.

The Red Shoes:My Struggle for Self Acceptance

"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." ~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905


My recent series , "The Red Shoes" explores my struggle for self acceptance and my recent discovery of my strength as a woman and as an artist. For most of my life, I deliberately masked my femininity in an effort to seek invisibility. At nearly 47, the mask is off .

There is a power in owning one's femininity.I am writing about this subject in greater depth .The red shoes are purely symbolic and will be gifted immediately to my daughter who will be much more comfortable in wearing them. Feminine accoutrements are not my style although I appreciate them on others. I own two dresses and one set of heels ,all of which I could do without. Jeans and tees suit me fine. Again, the "red shoes" are symbolic for women being comfortable in their own skin. I was raised to believe vanity was a sin...physical beauty was superficial and yet as an artist I am consumed by the physical and the visual. Physical beauty is a gift that can be taken away at any moment, but it is a worthwhile gift all the same. It forces me to pause, as I would for a spectacular sunset, an autumnal tree aflame with warm colors or a child's face. I stop, awed with wonder and admiration because beauty is fleeting and that is why it is all the more precious.

However, with maturity,I have learned to value a more genuine beauty  that often lies beneath....beauty not so easily seen ,but deeper, richer and everlasting. The women and men that I love most, possess great passion, intelligence , kindness and a sense of purpose that make them truly beautiful.There is no denying however, in this world, that physical beauty,for it's own sake, is obsessively valued.Women especially ,I feel , become more attractive and sensual with age. They should be celebrated as such. I intend to celebrate them and explore in greater depth physical, spiritual and intellectual beauty and their inextricable connection to oneanother.

"To me the definition of true masculinity - and femininity, too - is being able to lay in your own skin comfortably. " ~Vincent D'Onofrio

We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld