“Why isn’t there any Feminist Pop Art?” I asked myself and then I thought, “Well, if there isn’t, I will create it!”

-------

To produce the kind of artwork I envision myself making, I create representational figurative paintings that focus on issues relating to women and femmes, including empowerment, gender roles, and beauty standards. I also explore other social issues, such as gun violence, consumerism, and mass media consumption. I have a wide range of artistic influences that include formal elements of collage, illustration, and design, the symbolism of Fantastic Realism, and the color and imagery of Pop Art. Outside of art, I am influenced by my love of history, pop culture, feminism, and rock/alternative music. Song lyrics, often from female and female-fronted musicians and groups, are the inspiration and starting point for much of my work. Once I have a few ideas I’m interested in, I pull images from magazines, advertisements, movies, art history, and music videos to create small collages that expressed these ideas. These collages act as my preliminary sketches for my final work. I tie this all together by using a variety of mediums, from the traditional: acrylics, watercolor, and ink, to the non-traditional: ribbon, cloth, and glitter, to create the final piece. With my paintings I want to create aesthetically interesting, collage-like work that provokes thought, and effectively portrays feminist concepts, along with other social issues, through a pop-cultural lens.