Women in Art

Women in Art

Recently I was asked why I choose to portray the female figure in most of my work. I hadn't really thought about it since it was not a deliberate act. But I am a female, and portraying the female body is relatable to me. I know how a female body curves, I understand the structure of feminine features and I can easily look at my own body for reference when working on a piece.

I don't believe the female form is necessarily a better subject than the male form to paint. Any successful work of art is more about the right balance of composition, color and the play of light and shadow. However, I must say when looking at art, I am most drawn to the pieces with the subject of females and children. Perhaps this is because they tend to be more playfully represented, their clothing more detailed and their presence more varied.

I have been told on more than one occasion that the piece above looks like me. It is my version of Yemaya, a Yoruban goddess who is considered the mother of all and owner of the ocean. My concept of her is a woman who is  pregnant with life, regal and is both calm and powerful as is the nature of water. She is the first painting I made when I picked up a paintbrush again last year.

They say you leave a piece of you in everything that you do. If there is any truth to that statement, then maybe there is a bit of me in this piece. But to me, in this painting, she will always simply be... Yemaya.