A Woman's Gaze
These paintings focus on intimate scenarios from women's lives where the male gaze is absent. I chose these scenes because they are small, common aspects of my and many other women's lives that we experience but that aren't often discussed. I wanted to bring attention to these fairly common moments by using a large scale and a zoomed perspective so you can't miss it.
My time at Union College gave me the opportunity to merge my passion of thinking both politically and artistically. This series, A Woman's Gaze, was an extension of my Political science thesis, where I focused on artists who combat the male gaze by representing women's lives realistically, from a woman's perspective. I was influenced by contemporary artists including Jenny Saville, Ellen Altfest, and Kara Walker. These artists incorporate a level of abstractionism and distortion into their work which inspired me to shift to fast-paced, large paintings. I was able to move around the canvas rapidly, taking me out of my comfort zone. I used quick studies to practice this fast style. The result is these tightly framed, intentionally ambiguous images. It is up to the viewer's experiences to determine what they take away from these personal scenes. This series is titled for its opposition to the male gaze and it is for anyone who has experienced these scenarios in their life.
It's OK, She Plays Rugby
2018, 42x44, oil on canvas
I play rugby and a lot of the time we are asked if we are okay when we walk around with bruises on our body. While I appreciate the concern, we chose this violent sport. Women are often depicted as and expected to be the victim, fragile, and docile, and when we defy this, there is always resistance to women openly expressing aggression. I once had a man tell me that women rugby players are disgusting and just want to be men, which is....odd. No hunny I wanna roll around in the mud and hit people because it is fun, but thank you for your input. I also enjoy frilly and delicate things but one doesn't negate the other. Womanhood is multidimensional, and aggression doesn't equate to masculinity (or gender at all!). There's more than one way to demonstrate women's lives.
Drained
2018, 42x44, oil on canvas
So there's a good amount of blood in a woman's life, and blood in the shower is something we all deal with. Shaving, periods, wounds - whatever it may be. It's just kind of part of life, but specific to women. Men don't have that pressure to shave, and then don't feel that sting when you accidentally knick yourself and your blood is pooling and you just have to deal. And the crimson wave is a whole other story. You'll never know the struggle boys. Fun fact: I achieved the reference photo for this by spraying sriracha on my leg in the shower.
Walking Home
2018, 42x44, oil on canvas
In high school I was taught to carry my keys between my fingers in self-defense class while the boys played dodgeball upstairs. We walk on high alert whenever we are alone, any time of day, any type of neighborhood. We have to be ready to defend ourselves because the fear and threat of an assault is very real. It is kind of just second nature at this point, you just know to be aware of everything around you just incase, which is something that most men don’t have to think twice about. They just keep playing dodgeball while we learn to stab assailants with keys.
Hand and Eye Studies
7x9, oil on paper
