What will her kids think?
My body prints abstract the female form to see it fresh, conceptually stunning, maybe sensual or sexual, but not ascribing to the cultural-ideals. These build on my first series of body prints (2012). Inspired by Yves Klein’s “Anthropometries” (1960), my body-prints alternatively take a feminist approach, as the artist, director, and model. My prints are observably that of a woman (not a girl), as the curls of pubic hair are evident with swirls of paint, against the prepubescent-styled bodies in popular media. The paint-splattered style is reminiscent of the inkblot tests used for psychological interpretation; I, similarly, challenge viewers: What do you really see?
This series was created in response to the reaction of viewers of my original series; I found people focused on my role as mother and how my (nude) work impacted my children, rather than the work itself. After research, I found this wasn’t atypical, and I built this series of prints around famous and infamous artists and non-artists speaking of the relationship of motherhood to artistry and vice versa to allow myself a physical and thoughtful process and visualize this.
My drawings of my sometimes pregnant nude form using children’s media bring the sheltered or hyper-sexualized form to an appreciated, non-scrutinized position. By incorporating my children’s craft and imagery, we connect through the process and outcome. The works reveal the inseparability of motherhood and artistry; and dichotomies of body image, sexuality, and gender identity as it plays a role in motherhood and youth. At the simplest, they are playful acts of love—for childhood, motherhood, and the female body.
