One of the greatest advantages of being an artist is that you need to take an honest look at who you are. One of my life struggles has been body image. Researching weight stigma helped me understand this aspect of myself and gave me the courage to see me as the beautiful shapes I find in my other artistic subjects. This image came out of the photo shoot I did of myself and the idea that I don't want people to look at me an see someone who is "other" or "wrong".
As a woman constantly struggling with body image, a recent research into weight stigma helped me think from a new perspective. The media hurts us every day judging those of us with obesity. We all eat cheeseburgers, ice cream, and pizza every day and never do anything remotely healthy. I know better. This piece was my way of giving myself the powerful aura to ignore the poor commentary and remember who I am.
This represents my personal experiences with and reflection on grief and loss. As we lose our loved ones we shatter a bit more and feel like we are losing pieces of ourselves. Yet, we endure and keep it together, even if it is by a single thread.
Though I have had a successful professional career, I often feel that my battle with the never ending pile of laundry reflects my reduced alternate self.
This piece shows the dissonance one can feel between who they feel to be and who they are perceived to be.
This image shows one figure holding themselves. The growth of plants around the figures mirrors the nurturing energy of caring for one's self.
While sculpting a gesture sketch from a live model, I often internalize the pose to feel the movement of the body prior to abstraction. All figurative sculptures are autobiographical, whether I intend it or not.
This is the story of Creation and the fourth in the Sahdow Bear series. In the Navajo tradition, Grandmother Spider casts her web into the blackness of space. The dew drops on the web become the stars and planets in the Universe. It is the dance of life from our origins to our infinite creation. The cycle is completed only to begin again, a never-ending sacred spiral. We are all made of star material and therefore we are all connected. From the vastness of the universe to the realm of quantum physics, we exist and are a part of the whole. We are One!
Reflections of a solitary soul.
I wanted to portray the emotional and physical effects that chronic illness plays. I found my myself searching for a diagnosis of a mystery illness that has been plaguing me for years, only to learn there is no cure, and little help available. This is my daily struggle.
This is part of a 6 piece collection called Sista Girls
My Journey has lead me through Goddess phases in which I AM Many and One.
Reflections of our truly Multifaceted Self both masculine and/or feminine and the fluidity in between.
We are trees. We are soil. We are ocean. This piece visually explores the Earth reclaiming us (humans). I feel my best self when among ancient trees and lush ferns and also when speaking up for nature. This triple exposure film photo was taken in one of my favorite forests in California and intentionally layered to blur the lines between human and nature. When is the last time you sat still in a forest, breathing in and out with the trees?
As women we have the instinct to nurture and protect one another and our environment. Time Bomb is a social commentary about our current environmental crisis and the overwhelming fear of events spiralling out of control.There are many components in this illustration which will slowly reveal themselves, inviting the viewer to take time to connect. The tear represents resilience and the seed of hope for a better future.
Wondering Musician is a piece I created during my transition into college. I had been playing the flute for about eight years prior and was unsure whether or not I wanted to continue on this higher level. I posed myself in a way that expressed this uncertainty; with tones of contemplation and wonder as my gaze shifted beyond the frame. The scattered sheet music in the background served as an echo of my thoughts; battling between the safety of a journey’s end and the desire to seek something more.
When my husband was dying of cancer, we created several images about our journey together. This one is a self portrait highlighting my many conflicting emotions at the time.
The horizontal stripes reflect my layers, years, experiences and paths in my life. They embody a changing continuum that sometimes includes highlights and sometimes has dark notes. The patterns were also inspired by what the cadence of music or lines of poetry might look like as colors and shapes. After I finished, I researched the diamond shape and found that it is symbolic of illumination and awakening of the mind, body, soul, heart, and spirit to naturally and passionately shine and express one's true talents.
I've been creating jewelry for many years now and I have a fine collection of beautiful, hand-picked stones. At this point in my jewelry-making, custom orders or special requests are difficult. I have to just "go with it" now. I handle the stones, roll them in
my hands while trying one combo with another and hope they "talk" to me. When they don't, I struggle and pieces seem awkward.
I love designing asymmetrical pieces balanced by color, form and texture. When a design is balanced I feel a visceral calm. A peace comes over me and I know it's finished.
With this piece I knew I wanted to use these colors and these stones - onyx and amazonite - to make a lariat with an interesting focal. I like the bead pattern, movement and the way the sterling wire cooperated into graceful curves to hold the lead bead. It feels good.
I sat on the floor, legs crossed set on making the vision in my head of a woman. Simple lines, minimal detail, quite plain actually and small in scale. What emerged was a woman mimicking the way my hands rest on my neck and the way my head tilts when I'm thinking. I straightened up and realized... this is me.
Text and art have always been intertwined and my work explores the visions that are evoked in the viewer as result of encounters with words. Texts and images are all around us; at times, they may seem inescapable. In a world saturated by sounds and colors, what we view, read and hear shapes our identities and points of view. Just as a writer revises their work until they are satisfied, we constantly strive for improvement, rewriting ourselves and often capturing the most intimate of moments to see progress. "Reflections Taking Shape" references Cixous' "Laugh of Medusa" in which she challenges women to "write themselves" back into history. Cixous' siren call to women is just as relevant today as it was back in 1975t. Her words inspired the imagery of the woman in a state of hibernation and rebirth. The image of her body curled into a fetal position grows at both ends; she is at once growing roots as well as growing branches- her body is still, yet pulled apart.
There are gems and galaxies nestled in my long long hair symbolizing abundance and lots of potential in this new year.
In 2018, like millions of other people, I took a DNA test that revealed I am not who I had always thought I was. This photo belongs to a larger project, which is my attempt to capture the emotional rollercoaster I’m still riding today as I try to unearth the truth about my parentage and the circumstances surrounding it.
Useful memories are the cards I hold. The discard pile remains undisturbed until there is a new unfortunate entry. I'm learning that the consequences in life translate into memories that can be shared, these are the cards I hold close. Or hidden and secret in the discard pile.
This is a self portrait painted in oil on a 12" X 12" wood panel during the great California deluge of winter 2023, I used a selfie of my reflection in the bathroom mirror taken with my IPhone.
This painting is part of my "Soul Series". I represent soul with concentric circles and an being entailing.
This painting is created keeping in mind the "state of being" of a woman who is carrying a child in her womb and is focused on the well-being of the child in her womb either unaware or just wishfully ignoring the chaos and situations that can divert her attention.
This journey that a woman starts when she conceives evolves her into a mother, the state that stays with her for eternity, always keeping the child first as compared to any other aspects around her.
Some women need coffee to begin the day, but a hot, crunchy slice of toasted sourdough bread slathered in butter is my go-to morning fuel. If it's true that you are what you eat, I am mostly toast!
This is the first piece I've done for my series reflecting on my recent Cancer battle. The mask depicted is my Radiation mask. I also reference the many hours sitting in a chair taking in Chemo as well as other infusions, and the many effects including the pain and loss of taste and inability to eat tomatoes along with most foods. Some of the colors included even reference the color of one of the Chemo drugs.
2 years following the slow death of my mother and then 2 weeks after her funeral when I was diagnosed with Cancer, I created this piece as part of my series “Paper Dolls”. It was at first a reflection on the fond memories of playing paper dolls with my mom and her collection when I was a child that flooded back to me while I took care of her in her final year. But the series also came to represent the times of the Pandemic and my Cancer battle, both requiring caution of being exposed to further sickness. I wore a mask even before the Pandemic reached us and have remained mostly still in lockdown. The Paper Dolls reference the many masks and the tenuousness of our existence in the real world. This piece came to represent all of this and the delicate balance between choices and outcomes.
Mother’s Nature, with is colorful palette, texture and sense of “place” is an expression of the familiar manipulated. It is a direct response to the state of our world during 2021 and 2022- where can we place ourselves? Are we above the fray? Do we move forward or is this a beautiful end to the mysterious journey? It is a portrait of solitude, renewal, and emergence.
I grew up with undiagnosed depression and anxiety. I wanted to use this piece as a way to process some of the trauma I experienced while healing with untreated mental illnesses. I mixed the negative things that were said to me with some of my favorite things such as my cats and flowers with different meanings to show what I am feeling when I look back to that time in my life.
As women and mothers we carry many things in our hearts. Sometimes we may feel we are cracking under the pressure or even lose a small piece of ourselves in the process of holding everything. But our arms stay strong and steadfast and we literally carry on.
Many of us have struggled with childhood or adult trauma. Our memories of troubled times can be unconsciously linked to places and things that bring us back . This photo is meant to represent a reconnection to that past.
This self portrait is a reflection of my primal feeling of the need to hide away within a safe dwelling. I wanted to play with the juxtaposition of a hard surface embracing my body while my face shows comfort. The rocky undulations represent a cave-like interior which bring an almost womb effect and the gaze of my figure mirrors the serene emotion of being completely oneself.
The vision behind this piece is about creativity and about what that concept means to me personally as a female artist. In this context the mythological figure of the mother of all animals functions metaphorically as an avatar of myself as a female artist, and as such is a person who is a veritable wellspring of creative possibilities. In this instance, she is tip-toeing across a splash pool at the base of Vernal Fall in Yosemite, not too far from where I live and create.
Small painting, but nearly life scale, an image as I look in the raking light of my studio, a diffident yet bold presence.
One of a series of frontal self portraits examining the difference my coloring between light side and shaded side
A blend of my high school photo and one taken this year, partially disguised behind images from my garden
I love Oak trees. Such interesting twists and turns; such perseverance. This terrain is part of my roots and was an element in the making of me.
As I painted this, I thought of how each Oak and each life has a different backstory and takes such unexpected routes and unique paths forward – mostly unknown and, I hope, never in a straight line.
Ceramic sculpture 21” x 21” x 20” with tree of life painting in underglazes, populated by California songbirds whose numbers are falling due to neonicontinoid toxins in pesticides. This piece is an homage to lives at risk, and to the joy of birdsong.
I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where late summer is always “fire season.” When the Oak Fire drew close last year, I used my art to help me deal with the rising anxiety of facing potential evacuation yet again. This piece was my therapy for working through my feelings.
I recently celebrated my 70th birthday by sitting as a portrait model for my art community. The portraits that were generated enabled me to see myself differently, particularly from the eyes and hearts of others whose work I love and respect. It gave me the courage to paint my own self-portrait for the very first time. In doing so, I learned about how I see myself and the world around me. That led to the title, "With Age, Wisdom." I am grateful beyond measure.
I wanted to shed light on a topic that affects so many of us women and yet is still so hard to treat. As a lifelong migraine sufferer (onset age 16), I understand far too well that ice pick in your brain and the feeling that your head really is going to explode! And on top of it all, the frustration that there still is no 100% "cure"....
Violence in schools across the country has rapidly increased in 2022. This increase has created fear and unrest in what should be considered a safe place for students to learn. Educators, staff and students deserve a place where knowledge can be exchanged productively. The included photo is an outcry for safety in schools for the sake of our children, their learning, and their futures.
From the series, 'Emergence', each image depicts a fragment of the female persona. The series is an exploration into how our perceived value changes overtime through societal obligations and expectations.
Zkatrina, the goddess of time
this is a time piece.
it’s about my relationship to time.
i’m always chasing it…always running out of it.
there is none to spare.
“i don’t have time to do that.”
do i make enough of it to spend with family and friends?
my dog, alicia, thinks her name is “hurry, gotta go!”
each day, i want to do it all, striving to make “each minute count.”
i don’t want life to pass me by…
…but it seems like it is…in the middle of all of this busyness…
how we spend our days is how we spend our lives…
so, embrace the moments. and make the time to do the things you love…spend time with those you love…laugh. and dance. a lot. it’s the best.
"Everyone's a 'photographer' with a phone..." I enjoy the terrible quality that comes with some phones (and some point-and-shoots). This photograph was taken during an artsy moment––a moment when everything is beautiful and calm... the light, the mood, the surroundings, and the self. It all came together in this simple and yet complex image of myself without a face, infinitely mirrored in the tiny screen, and a familiar hand, passed down generations.
A meditation on finding peace and purpose in a small mirror.
I wanted a self portrait that reflected the artist in me, not just a likeness. As printmaker, I felt it should be a print. I chose a reduction process, since the whole is made by carving away the parts, and adding new layers.. As a portrait, the whole me is achieved by building on experiences that have gone before.
Look deeply into my eyes while shifting from side to side, I'll still be watching... but what am I thinking? That is up to you to decide.
My name is Tanya and I was born in Ukraine, in a small town in the Donetsk region, which became famous after 2014, when it was occupied. Fortunately, then he was released, but in 2022 the enemy again came to our lands. I had to leave my house again. It was destroyed by a rocket. Am I feeling fear? No, most likely disappointment and hatred. With this picture, I wanted to convey my feelings, but probably thousands of people in my country experience this despair. I know that war cannot last forever. Because of this, I feel hope and faith that one day we will be resurrected as a phoenix.
Exploring the shedding of femininity and presentation of masculinity, the artist spent a year altering her body with intense diet and exercise for this project. To be the father's son, to carry on the family name, to be the tragic sacrifice, to be a god; 'I am that I am' contrasts the way in which gender presentation affects human experience and relationships.
Frida and I both share the chronic pain from spinal issues, as well as our love of animals. This homage piece reflects my animal soulmates, four who are living and one who has passed (in my heart).
Excellent, is a thought-provoking and powerful image that speaks to the resilience and strength of the human spirit. The black image of the artist serves as a symbol of the inner self, while the purples and oranges in the background represent the unique and creative mind. The intricate patterns in the image hint at the complexity and busyness of the artist’s neurodivergent mind, which can inspire a surge of creativity, but other times can cause restless sleep, lack of focus, or feelings of being overwhelmed. The image ultimately speaks to the idea that embracing one's true self, and using that to create art, brings freedom and empowerment. This piece is a testament to the idea that our differences are what make us truly excellent.
"Shrouded in Stars" is a striking image that explores the role of the crone as the bridge between life and death, the familiar and the unknown. The artwork is divided into three sections, each representing a different aspect of this concept. The left side is filled with vibrant colors and patterns, symbolizing the messy and chaotic nature of life. It represents the full range of human experience, including the challenges and sorrows, as well as the triumphs and celebrations. In the center, the crone is depicted with a shroud of stars, representing her role as the guide through the great mystery of death, through her wisdom and compassion. On the right side of the image, the composition is made up of primarily purples and blues and uses fewer, more simple patterns, representing calmness and the Otherside. There is a touch of green and yellow-orange peeking through, along with a glowing red orb that represents transformation and the spark of rebirth.
Winter and Death' is a captivating image that presents a powerful representation of the crone archetype. This image creates a sense of the vast unknown, the dark time of the year, winter, and death. The crone welcomes the viewer to her realm, offering a peaceful, quiet space to unburden their hearts, to set their worries down as she shares her wisdom through ancient stories, stories of our ancestors, stories of our own lives, our sorrows, our joys, and the stories that can only be told after our death. The black shroud over her head blends into the darkness of the vast unknown, representing the great mystery of what lies beyond this life, and the stories of transformation and rebirth. This image also represents the transience of life and the fact that death is an inevitable process, but the crone archetype, being the symbol of wisdom, guides us through it. This piece invites us to explore the wisdom of the crone archetype and the transformative power of the unknown.
I often mention when musing about my current talent as a Visual Artist that in my next life I'd be a musician. Many lovely comments were made about my long fingers when their appearance was youthful.
In today's world, we all want to share our highlight reel, only the wonderful happy experiences, hiding our unpleasant sad emotions. Everyone goes through struggles and feels sad sometimes, it's all part of life. It's ok, and it's even ok to share those too.
A light shines the brightest in the darkest room. Sometimes you have to be in the dark in order to see the light. In my life, I have had to sit in the dark sometimes in order to see the light and realize where I need to go to follow the light.
I spent a whole day at this small, sandy beach along the Merced River last summer. Looking back on this intimate experience reminds me of the peace and joy this day brought to my heart.
The deep shadows at sunrise in the gorge of Yosemite Fall replicate my own shadow and light I feel in a given day. I find it healthy to honor personal shadows as well as delight to be a fully-functioning person.
My hardworking Dad always made time to take us to school on his bicycle. He did not own a car. He was honest, loving and perservering. Only now can I look back and see how he influenced me to strive for the best.
This piece represents the fate of women in Afghanistan.
The recent ban on education for women and girls in Afghanistan is unconscionable. Last fall a school in Kabul, Afghanistan was targeted by a suicide bomber. The students were sitting in for mock exams in preparation for university. Female students sat at the front of the room, segregated from the boys. A suicide bomber targeted the rows where the girls sat, snuffing out over 30 beautiful and promising lives. The world continues to watch and condemn the treatment of women in Afghanistan yet no one is taking any real course of action. Humanity has failed in this regard. The work is meant to avail the viewer to hold our world leaders accountable.
Each black raffia bow in this piece represents two of the young women lost to violence and terrorism. May we hold them forever in our hearts, they were lanterns in the darkness.
Women become so limited by the concept of men being “leaders”. We tend to assume that a man knows what he's talking about until he is proven otherwise. Whereas for women it's all too often, the other way round, and as a result, women tend to be underestimated more. They tend to be interrupted, and talked over more. They have to prove their competence more. Sometimes it feels overwhelming. Our ability to be leaders and figures of power is suffocated by these ideologies. No more waiting around for things to change without action.
Bio:
My artwork tends to be eclectic. I have a variety of different styles and subject matter ranging from portraits to landscapes to planets to paintings depicting poetry. My portraits of faces give emotional expression to people reflecting little animation. I have completed approximately 10 portraits. My paintings of planets and landscapes tend to be vivid in color. I have completed at least ten of these, as well. As indicated, I have created what I call “poem paintings.” These are represented as my own poetry on a water-colored paper. They are laminated in a way that produces a glossy surface. I have painted 29 of these. The uniqueness of the different styles that I use might be construed as noncommittal indecisiveness, but I prefer to understand it as versatility.
This self portrait is part of a series I did on how older women are often viewed. I included both positive as well as negative words on each image. This image represents how many older women feel that they become invisible to the world. This invisibility can be both empowering as well as challenging.
The Aging Beautifully collection is about confidence, continued curiosity, and yes, a beauty that can only be attained with age. This piece is about the bravery of letting go of those we love. It is also about being there until the start of their journey into the unknown.
The Aging Beautifully collection is about confidence, continued curiosity, and yes, a beauty that can only be attained with age. This piece is about us feeling more reverent as we age, but not succumbing to rigid piety.
The Aging Beautifully collection is about confidence, continued curiosity, and yes, a beauty that can only be attained with age. This piece is about the pleasure of companionship and friendship.
This original acrylic depicts a rainstorm in the desert and is completed with gold leaf passages. Where rain is a rare occurrence the thirsty sunbaked surface of the landscape welcomes the moisture of a refreshing, life giving rain and becomes a place of renewal and rebirth.
This is a portrait of a strong, beautiful, and life giving woman, my grandmother. She is the reason my amazing, loving family exists. It amazes me so much knowing that she is not only the creator of her children and grandchildren, but also the creator of such a loving connection between all of us.
Because of my anxiety and attention deficit, I often find myself feeling isolated from everyone else. Sometimes it feels really hard to relate to others and socialize normally. This piece is a visual representation of how I feel when this happens.
The series 'No One came here to hide’ were a natural progression from my investigation of black face and Zwarte piet. The title is actually a quote from the writer and performer Bill Withers.
of ‘I see you - but do you see me…?’
While my initial focus was on capturing certain regard, the juxtaposition of layers allows me to explore the tension and conflicting narratives – the softness and flexibility of the textures contrasting with the uncompromising expressions.
Opening up or closing down? Object or subject?
No One came here to hide’ is a quote by the writer and performer Bill Withers .‘The Nuno Felts and Photographic portraits had a working title of ‘I see you – but do you see me…?’
Flying but surrounded by concrete walls. This was my recurring nightmare when I was a medical doctor. Those times I couldn't understand the meaning of this nightmare. After I had the courage to quit my job, build my wooden house in the mountains and accept that I'm an artist, never saw this nightmare again. Now my place to fly is the sky.
I combine my love of old technology and natural elements with a feminist, autobiographical focus, using nostalgia and humour with a touch of fantasy to inspire and delight. This self portrait reminds us that we are all made of stars, and that we will return to the earth to sprout flowers, and our time is short.
I never know how the labyrinth or maze will turn out. I consciously avoid having any clear idea in my mind. I simply start at the center armed with a rake and go round and round, absorbing the twists and turns and inevitable tensions alongside both joy and gratitude, which always see me through. A metaphor for life’s journey.
Women often must juggle so much - family, home life, career - and putting the best face on it, keep all the balls juggling. Even if we love all the components, it's a great challenge to keep it all going, not dropping a ball, all up in the air.
It's about choice. I started this painting the day Roe vs. Wade went down, and I just could not believe that shocking setback. Women and choices and options - where are we going? I could not paint a happy woman that day.
Driving around Bass Lake with the family, I was struck with wanting to get a shot of both my lower and upper self in one image- relaxing and also daydreaming. This photo is humorous to me but always makes me stop to consider how appearances compare to what's going on internally- my face is serious, but I was busy taking a photo and also laughing moments before.
This piece recalls the times when an unexpected phone call suddenly and drastically changed my life.
"UNTITLED" is an oil dry brush piece on a 60 x 48 stretched linen canvas. It is a self-portrait which helped Katrina reflect on her position as a self-taught full-time artist and where she stands in the art community.
While completing this piece, she learned that 87% of the artwork in galleries across the USA in 2019 were all done by male artists. It really sparked something inside of Katrina and made her reflect on what it is to be a female realism artist in this industry. The symbolism of the paint over her mouth is to highlight that her art is her voice and she will use it to be heard.
This painting is about my dread for the manner in which technology can debilítate a young woman’s sense of self. The Watcher is a teenager who doesn’t live her own life. She is controlled by algorithms that decide what she sees. She doesn’t feel her humanity anymore, and she doesn’t think her own thoughts. She just watches. She has no interests or hobbies and never challenges herself. She has a third (spiritual) eye to guide her, but she is disconnected from it. She has the ability to change; the butterfly on her shoulder is a symbol for metamorphosis. It is my profound hope that she will rise above her current state and begin to live a life of purpose.
This self-portrait is part of an ongoing series that explores the link between woman and nature through the lens of the landscapes I’ve known. As a nomad, I am always on the road, heading somewhere, leaving somewhere behind. Wherever I go, I collect bits of the landscape to carry with me, to file away into the woman I am becoming. By visualizing myself not as a body made of flesh and bone but as a being composed of the geography that nourishes me, I am able to tap into that spirit connection that transcends human nature and places us squarely within the fabric of the universe. By remaining faceless, perhaps this portrait can become a mirror through which each person is able to see the nature in themselves, and themselves in nature.
Poetics of everyday life _ The Invisibles
"Chaos is order to be deciphered!" (Jose Saramago)
This Portrait is a look at invisibility, people who go unnoticed or ignored in our society.
This woman is an undocumented immigrant living in a foreign country exploited through underemployment to survive!
By giving voice to the images, I intend to create poetic and conceptual connections as a way of provoking a non-linear reflection on the valuation of the individual in the face of the contradictory social discrepancies that accompany him.
We are all immigrants in search of a garden!
I was warned not to travel solo in Iran by family, friends, colleagues, Iranians living in my country, the Philippines, and my government. But I did.
I was fixing my hijab not because it looked artistic but because I was afraid to get in trouble if it fell off.
I have hearts on my cheeks for the kindness I received from the people of Iran.
This piece, Inner Landscape, reflects the mountain of interests, cares, influences and passions swirling around inside my head at any given moment. That the array of images woven throughout the piece compete with and crowd out my own, much more faint visage is fitting. We are so much more than our faces, our ages, our professions, etc. We are, in large part, what we love.
My identity has shifted since becoming a mother and it continues to change day by day as my daughter grows. I lose myself and find myself 100 times in a week. Who did I used to be? Who will I be to her? Who am
I now? In some simple moments, after the chaos, I find a different question: can this please last forever?
Time slows, speeds up, lags, quickens, expands and contracts. We can't control time, but we can dance through it.
This is a series of self-portraits in which I play the role of a doll that gradually becomes self-aware. This work expresses how I feel as a woman in a patriarchal system under Chinese culture.
This is a series of self-portraits in which I play the role of a doll that gradually becomes self-aware. This work expresses how I feel as a woman in a patriarchal system under Chinese culture.
Wildfires, floods, food shortages, war in Ukraine, hostile polarizations, pandemics, species extinctions, existential threats, pervasive uncertainty and stress. Sometimes a part of me yearns to float above it all, at least for awhile.