Through my paintings, I explore the untold stories of women in history with an emphasis on costume and fashion. These narratives highlight a woman’s perspective. By focusing on costume and clothing, another dynamic history is overlaid. Clothing and personal adornments can reveals our social class, our ideals, our occupation, our religion, and symbolize hopes, desires, memory and loss. In short, it’s the fabric of our identity and human experience.
The female subjects are depicted with a blackened face and arms. She is simultaneously the every woman and the anonymous woman. She is ageless and timeless. She is a woman stripped of political teams. By omitting facial identifiers, her story is recognized as a universal story of courage, strength, pride and our common human condition. These subjects represent shadows. They are the shadows of the unrecognized woman who didn’t “make” the history books and has slipped through the cracks of history.
Female subjects that demonstrate bravery, perseverance and a universal human struggle feed my soul. Personally, our political, environmental and recent social history has left me depleted. Through my connection with women in history, I feel recharged and hopeful. I adore that these women are the ancestors of young women today. I hope my painting and narratives provide inspiration.
