Appearance, Presence

Women cannot escape their political nature, whether it's focused on our representation, our bodies, or our individual decisions. Beginning this body of work, I’ve asked 7 women “Where do you feel most powerful?” inadvertently discovering more of their personalities, thoughts, and views on the injustices that women face today. Presented are 7 drawings, 2 of which have been translated to full-sized paintings. Through this process, I’ve found that women are still frustrated by the male-dominant world around them and the nuances of femininity are largely undervalued. Each portrait shows only what identifies her, (face, arms, hair) while also depicting the multifaceted nature of each woman’s personality: the serious-at-times, yet comical nature of Hanann, or the colorful and poised Cora. 

Using both color, pattern, and the model’s pose, the viewer can better understand who these people are at their best and most empowered. Because along with lack of recognition, women still lack the courage to be who they are outside of the home. It all started with myself, feeling that I need to hide parts of my femininity in my male-dominated field in order to be taken seriously. My work is an encouragement to all those who feel the need to hide, or pretend, for those who are frustrated by lack of progress, or by those who need to feel seen. This work is not inherently political in imagery or process, but the emotions behind the faces drawn are.

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