Weight; it may be gained or lost – but the signs are forever evident on the skin. The weight will be gone, but the loose skin and stretchmarks will persist as reminders of the past - whether welcome or not.

This series was prompted by the exhibition A Woman in Her Place - featuring the manipulation of a slip. I considered - what is a slip to a woman and why does she wear it? The slip is meant to hide the lumps and imperfections of our body. It pulls in our rolls and disguises self-determined trouble areas. What if the purpose of the slip was reversed? What if it actually flaunted what is held underneath? This brings up the discrepancy between the varied shapes of women and the persistent uniformity of clothing. In this first piece, entitled Flesh, I explored the differences between my own shape and that of the standard slip that was given me. I expanded the hips and removed fabric on the waist and breasts. These alterations became an integral part of the piece and brought significance to the use of the clothing items as a base and canvas.

The Harlequin and Inherited, Inflicted, Chosen continue the exploration of undergarment as a surface, however, through the use of ink explore the discrepancy between natural marks and man made tattoos.

Future works will focus on the ideas of age and motherhood, concepts which are becoming prevalent in my life. I will continue to create bodies out of undergarments but seek to build a more lifelike surface for the skin that will allow me to fully integrate the subtlety of the wrinkles of age and stretchmarks after giving birth. I will work with polymers and various acrylics over the fabric surface before integrating pen, pencil, and colored media to create these sculptures. I want these pieces to interact with the viewers as other figures in a room, more-so than specimen on a wall, thus these pieces will require more complex metal supports to hold up the heavier medium and will become more dynamic and in the round.

This project will bring focus to the specificity and uniqueness of each skin and the life lived within it. Generally, we seek to confront a face to emphasize with the identity of a figure, but here, the skin will serve as portrait. This exhibition of these works will seek to bring awareness to the diversity of experience of women in our society as well as to raise a series of questions about the value of these experiences: What are we willing to give up for the sake of gaining something new? How many sweets do we deny ourselves to lose weight? Do we give up our youthful frame to rear a child? Would you accept the savage cuts of surgery to cure your ailment? Do you give up your natural skin for a graphic narrative?

This project serves as my own autobiography. It was born out of my struggle to identify with the imperfections of my skin and continues to fruition through my exploration and acceptance of the differences of my fellow women's experiences. It is pertinent to create these pieces as I am experiencing these changes. 

The Seven Deadly Sins is an exploration of follies and masks. Robbing sitters of their intended personas, each sin seeks to expose the awkwardness and vulnerability inherent in betraying one's own weaknesses. Under the guise of simplicity, one word titles lay bare the complexity of human nature. A single mask often hides a sea of insecurity. Stripped of their camouflage, the sins appear naked – owning the truth if their frailty for the first time.

Tortured, twisted folds of loose skin fall victim to an unforgiving tape measure, divulging the frailty of the sitter – the Vain obsession with attaining an unspoken cultural expectation. It is, in fact, a self hatred and insecurity that breeds Vanity. A hopeless, sideways glance shows the origin of Gluttony's stretchmarks – a bottomless, sorrowful emptiness can never be cured but seeks solace from its symptoms in the contents of the empty plates surrounding him. 

I am accustomed to living alone and controlling my own environment. Through a blossoming relationship, I find myself rationalizing how to share my space with someone for the first time. The paintings explore how rooms and spaces are utilized with and without my partner. Subtle changes in light and arrangement of objects imply the presence or absence of the human figure.