Marks of Misogyny
I am recording a sense of place - a woman’s place. My record keeping is born out of awareness that allowing women to choose the course of their own lives goes deeply against a very old grain and women are constrained in a special way through control of their sexuality. The evidence is subtle in Western Society. This is not a sudden epiphany but my work wrestles and nestles with resolution through process. So, my recorded marks have moments of clarity, but there are many gray areas, lost edges, and ambiguities.
True to my southern upbringing, this record asserts influence in veiled ways. Using symbolic meanings and visual attributes of flowers, placement of text and emotional marks are elements that are meant to be read as fragments. My work is narrative and open ended for today’s audience. I just went to Italy and saw fragmented frescos in the Bargello of Florence dating back to the 1200’s. There were missing parts of the images, lost through time; vibrancies and meanings spoke through muted colors. The broken images actually opened up the possibilities for interpretation. Everyday ordinary spaces are opportunities for unique responses. Driving in NC at twilight offers up color palettes and textures that are as fabulous as those frescos. My intent is to draw the viewer in, capture attention and insist on more than a glance.
"I am" is a reference to the great "I am" statement of the Christ and is used in the three female archetypes, drawings and floorcloths. Marks of Misogyny are imagined worlds where the regeneration of the sacred feminine has the power to consult with earth’s nature and yes, even masculine nature as co-creatives. Permission, not necessary.