I was 13 years old when I first realized the weight the word ‘woman’ carries. Fascinated by
anatomy, I painted my first female nude. The familial outrage that ensued led to me shoving the
painting in the trash. Not only was I hurt by my mother’s disapproval, I also felt ashamed of my
work, and uncomfortable in my skin.
It wasn’t until 8 years later that, spurred by rebellion and curiosity, I began to study the nude
figure. The emancipation I felt applying the paint to canvas was unrivaled. Thereafter, I created
my undergraduate thesis display centering around the female nude. The large-scale canvases
demanded space their subjects have historically been denied.
Living in a highly conservative society, the human body was introduced to me as an object of sin
- specifically the female body. A vessel of shame to be looked at and lusted after, but never
respected. Acceptable only as an object of desire but shamed if the desire came from within.
Growing up with this notion, I was never truly able to feel comfortable in my skin. I felt as
though my body only existed for the desire of others, always having to be perfect and poised,
never allowed to merely be. In my work, I try to depict the female nude in various forms, at times
relaxed and at times in discomfort. Through this, I try to encapsulate the many emotions that exist
in relation to the self, feelings of shame, anger, and acceptance. Much of my work involves
painting larger-than-life figures. The scale allows both me and the viewer to perceive the bodies
out of any other context than that of an artistic subject.
My main medium is oil paint on canvas. The style of mark-making I use is loose and undefined
and I find as though this is as important as the final piece itself. Oil paint as a medium allows me
to capture the visceral and fleshiness of the human form, through a variation of thin and thick
strokes of paint.