Mind Blindness, 22″x 30″, Graphite and white charcoal on toned paper, 2013

Artist Statement

My drawings are an attempt to change the realm in which violence and intolerance are viewed—from often private stories to something for all of us to look at publicly. My current work consists of editorial images focusing on the effects of social constraints, physical abuse, social injustice, and intolerance on women of varying cultures.

As an artist, I love the flexibility and delicacy of graphite and charcoal as I work on these images. The drawings subtlety invite intimacy while the stories themselves can be disturbing. These visual essays are an attempt to recreate for the observer my own experience of dismay over the continued vulnerability of women in the 21st century. These series reflect my own struggle to understand what is senseless, while hoping to raise awareness for the viewer, through the use of sequential images, visual storytelling, and first person testimony.

The news in recent years has been full of stories about the politization of women’s bodies—from debates throughout Europe about the criminalization of the headscarf, to reports here in this country on young girls taking extreme measures to reshape their bodies. As a result I find myself wondering, how free are women today? Centuries ago women could be tortured for speaking out, but continued news of honor killings and violence against women throughout every culture has me questioning if women are any safer today than they were centuries ago. What does it mean that the struggle for control of women’s bodies now comes from both the outside and within? Reports of women being stoned to death, or facing extreme danger while simply trying to provide for their families in refugee camps, has led me to consider my own relative safety as a woman and a mother. How can I reconcile feelings of privilege and vulnerability?

Recent Exhibitions

We Tell Stories, School of Visual Arts, New York 2014

Stories We Tell, Phoenix Gallery, New York 2013 (Juried Exhibition)

Kindling: Visual Essays, Boston Arts Academy 2011 (Solo Exhibition)

Education

School of Visual Arts, MFA Illustration as Visual Essay, 1990

S.A.C.I. Fine Arts Graduate Study 1988

California State University, Fullerton, BFA 1986

Awards

Honorable Mention, Bromfield Gallery Solo Competition 2012

Paul Rhodes Memorial for Excellence in Art, School of Visual Arts, 1990