My paintings are about girl power, gender inequity and the influence that language has on our social values. They are inspired by nature and symbolism, satire, domesticity and especially, American slang language.
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, Tail, Breeder, 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 process for creating these paintings has also evolved over many years. They are painted on stretched fabric; I choose a specific fabric for each painting, that forms 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.