artist's statement

throughout their lives, women are bombarded with a myriad of both traditional and contemporary mythologies about how they should look and act. from traditional sources such as faerie tales and religious writings to contemporary commercials and print advertisements, the female myth has been defined and redefined, marketed and sold. although women often regard this bombardment as inconsequential, these encounters with so-called perfection often have a considerable effect on the woman and her sense of identity in relationship to the world around her.

throughout my various bodies of work, i study the ideas of female archetypes as they have evolved throughout history. each piece represents a different archetype, and each archetype represents women from a variety of myths. these fetishized females reference fairy tales, religious writings, print ads and disney films. the unachievable, unobtainable women of the paintings play with the viewer, exploring ideas of confrontation, seduction and narcissism. the female cannot escape the role to which society has confined her—the role of being self-absorbed, self-analyzing and self deprecating. this too is evident in the self-conscious nature of the female gaze. the archetypes seem to ask, “how do i look?,” “how do you see me?,” “how should i look?” and “how would you like to see me?” in this way, the viewer plays an active role in the painting as he or she engages the female in a playful game of flirtation and enchantment.