Wow when I look over my last 6 posts I see 7 of the most amazing, strong and talented women. Some who I have only recently discovered, some I have known about for a long time and 2 that I am proud to call friends.
This journey of discovery has really opened my eyes not only to the art of some of these women but also their bravery. Life can be difficult at the best of times but to overcome adversities like accidents that leave you in extreme pain and disabled, the death of a sibling, rape, abortion, homophobia, chronic illness, equality, physical and drug abuse and to use those raw emotions to create art and bring awareness to these issues is a humongous feat! To bare your soul in your creativity and make yourself vulnerable is petrifying but that is what some of these strong women did and it is certainly something I try to do in my art. In fact artists like Frida Kahlo, Nan Goldin & Tracey Emin have given me permission to do just that!
As I have said in previous posts, my art is driven by my experiences, and while I have poured my heart out onto the canvas in many ways I think I have still been guarded and held the ugly truth back. Well not anymore! These wonderful women have given me the courage to open myself totally. To share my experiences through life, love and loss with total honesty – The good, the bad and the down right horrendous!
So while I still search for the best way to tell my story through my creativity the one thing I do know is that my future practice is going to be more auto biographical warts and all. It’s only by telling our stories and leaving ourselves vulnerable can we hope for a better world. We open a dialogue with our audience and hopefully some of it will resonate with others making us all feel less alone and validated.
Creation! 