Sexy and Satisfied

Ideas can be spawned from other ideas. Actions can be inspired by ideas and ideas inspired by action. In my short career as an Artist, I have had countless ideas for painting collections. While working on a collection, I will sometimes start a smaller collection that has nothing to do with the current work in progress. This annoys me about myself. It's sweet to be this ambitious but not when you are incredibly hard on yourself and coupled with having unrealistic expectations.

What is a "Collection"?

It is a cohesive grouping of your work that tells a story. They can have a similar story, the same color palette (in my case, NOT AT ALL, ha!), the same medium, the same painterly style. This collection would be significant to the Artist's core and vision. They can be sold together, or just as one offs.

Write down your collection ideas as they come to your mind. I have a couple collections I've written on my dry erase board over my desk and I also have some in the Notes app on my phone. As time passes and life gets Real and Busy, it's easy to forget your ideas. You might one day remember you HAD ideas and so it's nice to have clear visible places where you have written them down. I recommend tangible and digital.

I remember my very first collection idea from 4 or 5 years ago. It was inspired by actual hard copy photos my cousin, Antoinette and I took as teenagers (or were we even in our 20's???) of us pulling bold colored sheer stockings over our faces, distorting them in hilarious and disturbing ways. This was our idea of fun. We were weird. I still am weird. These photos would crack us up. I wish I could recall where these photos are at the moment... My collection idea was to photograph adults distorting their faces with stockings pulled over their heads, and to paint them as a collection. The commentary would be of adults exploring their playful child-like sides. Have fun. Let go. Be weird.

Not sure what happened, but this collection idea still remains in it's idea phase. I never bothered to explore it. Most likely due to fear, I regret to say. Who knows? One day when I am 100% over the complex I might revisit this idea, if not just to pay homage to my hilariously playful cousin, Antoinette who went up to the Stars not too long ago.

Before this blog gets too long winded, which I'm aware I tend to do...I will jump into my most current and exciting collection.: "Beauty and the Feast".

When I start to explain the story or the idea behind this collection, I am not sure if its just my insecurity or if its totally valid, but I feel people are perplexed more than supportive or excited. It's like telling someone you're pregnant (yay!), that you're having a girl (aww cool!), and that you're naming her "Clementine." (ah. ok.) Silence + Blank Stare.. I'll do my best to explain it here. It's also a good exercise for me to get used to talking about it. The idea is a collection of 7-8 pieces in that 24"x24" / 20"x32" / 18" x 36" range, of retro glam female stars eating something delicious. I say "retro" but one of my subjects is Madonna who doesn't necessarily fit among all the other starlets I have chosen, but I was just too compelled by the photo of her shoveling pasta noodles into her mouth while gazing into the camera.

Many women had/have shame around enjoying their food, as if it isn't ladylike. We know there is also a lot of shame around women enjoying sex too, and I feel many female Artists are doing an incredibly effective job blasting that stigma. I'll take on the food shame. Though I was raised with the paradox of "finish every rice kernel on your plate!" but also "don't eat too much or you'll get fat and never catch a man!", I was able to enjoy eating what I wanted when I was with close friends but keeping mindful and too self conscious around the opposite sex. I was curvy here and there and always had a protruding stomach (I LOVE BREAD AND SWEETS!) and so if I were to eat anything remotely indulgent in front of the opposite sex or even around new people, I swore they would notice and see me for who I was and think "well, no wonder."

In University, a male friend grabbed the unopened Snickers bar out of my hand and as if he was trying to save me from myself, he chucked it over a building, and said "you don't need this."

I'd like to think my "Beauty and the Feast" collection is a pleasing the eye, "FUCK YOU" to anyone who would judge or shame anyone for enjoying food like, dare I say, "a man would", which is why I tend to use the hashtags #femmeart and #femaleempowerment.

So there you have it. If you've read this far, now you know my purpose for this collection that I will be busy creating for the next year or so. I have 2 completed (Audrey Eats A Danish and Madonna Eats Pasta) and am well under way with the 3d one. There will 100% be a solo exhibit Art Show once all 8 have been completed. I care so much about this project. This collection is my first REAL collection, although, I admit, several smaller collections have taken space in the sidelines.

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