I grew up in a traditional Italian working-class family, where women had little power, creating awareness in me about gender inequity from a young age. As a result, my paintings are about girl power, gender inequity and the influence that language has on our social values. Ideas in my work are influenced by feminism, satire, domesticity, nature, symbolism, and especially, American slang language.
My work takes inspiration from a seemingly unremarkable 20 second experience when I was a young artist. One day, I stepped into an elevator full of men, one of whom was discussing his affections for a woman he enthusiastically referred to as a “hot little tomato!” The image of a sexy woman as a tomato amused and offended me simultaneously, and also ignited my sassy sense of humor. In addition, the image of a tomato makes a meaningful connection with my ethnic Italian heritage. This chance encounter opened a Pandora’s box of ideas that I am still executing today, and likely indefinitely.
Over many years, I have developed a kind of personal iconography that has become commonly known as my arsenal of images; ie: Chick, Skirt, Temptress, Bombshell, Cupcake, Prick, Nuts, Bunny, etc. These “characterizations” are seductively painted and borrowed mostly from men’s language, but attempt to disarm the viewer with humor and reclaim these often disparaging “pet names”.
My invented creative process has also evolved over many years. My paintings are executed on stretched fabric; I choose a specific fabric for each painting that establishes a relationship to the subject or “protagonist” in the work. This creates a connection between my materials, my process and my purpose. In addition, I manipulate the fabric significantly, by painting out parts of the pattern, and by applying specifically chosen stamps that add new playful motifs to the canvas. Furthermore, my paintings continue to the outside edge of the frame, which are ornamented with objects that tease the protagonist, who is often posed amidst a lush, imagined habitat or domestic interior.
Mocking past and present stereotypes with humor and irony, my images attempt to expose the bias that is embedded in our common language and in our psyche.