Artist Statement

My work explores how fairy tales and myths capture our imaginations and set the expectations for gender roles in our society.  Focused primarily on the female archetype, the work explores how the male gaze in historical paintings continues to perpetuate these stereotypes. The work endeavors to reconstruct each work to reframe these stereotypes and reclaim the female narrative.  The work often begins with the deconstruction of historical paintings. Extraneous information is eradicated from idealized representations of the female figure and each piece is reconstructed to retell the story from the point of female power and reframe the narrative to create a fresh perspective.   My work additionally explores the art of storytelling through the visual language of mixed media collage and assemblage art. The work sits at the intersection of reality and dreams, creating depth and distance which underscores the sense of duality created by the juxtaposition of the familiar and the strange. I am interested in creating enough space to allow the viewer to experience something that is immediately familiar but also evokes the slight ambiguity that occurs when we question the veracity of memory.