Artist Statement

"Through my art practice I have been interested in depicting through myth and fairy tales, universal aspects and themes of the human, condition, and more specifically in women and my connection to these myths and represenations.The female grotesque in myth and religion and how that reflects and reveals a lot about society and culture as well as my own inner relationship with these themes. The femme fatale, Sirens, Medusa, Salome, Lilith, Lamia and mermaids are a good example of myths and stories that portray the female as demonic. The Lamia that eats children and seduces men, only to drink their blood and eat their flesh is a common creature in different place all over the world.
The fact that women are often punished for being the victim in society, or for their sexuality often out of fear, is a reoccurring theme in different, cultures, and times. For example, Medusa in one version is a beautiful woman, with beautiful hair. One day she is taken advantage of by Poseidon and is therefore punished by Athena for by turning her into a hideous monster, with snakes in her hair, eyes that glow like fire, a hissing snake like tongue, large fang teeth, and a gaze that turns all that look her in the eye to stone. She is at once beautiful, intising and repulsive. In a religious context, much of what is deemed to be bad it represented in the female, as an example of what not to be like. Stories like Salome have been used at different times to convey their intended message. She is often connected with the moon in Oscar Wilde's Salome. The moons is often associated with women due to the cycles of the moon coinciding with womens menstral cycles, and the tide of the ocean. The water is often represents the subconscious, emotion, and the mysterious. It is also incredibly powerful. Women have an intimate relationship with blood, due to childbirth and menstration. This connection to the body in a natural and unviolent way is really interesting because women are often the blood lusting in myths such as the Lamia. The connection between pain and pleasure is also interesting due to this negative depiction of women hybrids.

It is common for all that is mysterious, grotesque, dangerous, and sacrilegious be depicted as female. What has motivated this depiction is facinating. These beliefs and about what it means to be female These depictions of women were often written or created by men based on their own beliefs about women. These images are both empowering and debasing. I believe that through the creation of art I can investigate these themes and come to some understanding of their implacations today, as well as my own relationship to them.           
I have also been addressing issues of dreams and reality. How the unconscious and conscious worlds can intermingle. Medication dependency, and "taming the monster" within me are issues that I feel are worth investigation through art making."