I am concerned with the painting of women’s issues in my self portraits. I work from life, using mirrors to reflect myself along with other objects that are potent with symbolism, adding more layers to my story.

 

 

My identity is explored to show a range of ages, along with their concerns. Earlier work shows a youthful painter in the garden, or a figure of a mermaid, poking fun at my fear of water. Marriage and home life are portrayed in a self-portrait cooking, and still life paintings that display gratitude and love. Even the gift of a daughter is documented with scrutiny.

There are times when complexities of life are explored, as in “Things Get in the Way.” I explore my faith in “Conversation with Eve”, and “Reflecting Their Creator”. Some are humorous, like “Practicing My Mean Face,” a recent self-portrait as a dragon, painted as a response from one of my friends saying I was “too nice.”

Looking over the years, I circled back to the ideas that have previously intrigued me. Homes are repeated, flowers are integral, along with gold as a symbol. These have culminated in “Patterns Emerge”, a painting that looks over the past, and notices what themes have developed in life and art. I never could have conceived this subject at a younger age. I am thankful for my life and even the longer vantage point I am able to work with at this time.

This painting speaks to the original purpose of why I paint: I paint the struggles of life, and the gifts that emerge from them.