Artist's Statement

My artwork represents a global examination of matrilineal culture and issues pertaining to women. Having been a part of a matrilineal family, I have seen firsthand how women in these groups are respected, and how they hold family together with courage and dignity. I have studied other matrilineal cultures; namely those in Oceania, the Mediterranean, Native and Latin America, Ireland, China, Africa, and India. These women fascinate me as elevated persons within their cultures; for their capacity to heal, procreate, to be compassionate and grant salvation.

It is the responsibility of the Matriarch to protect, sew and nurture the bonds of family, while madonnas [young mothers] create them. Life-giving forces emanate from both like water and 'mana'; protecting their young, maintaining the strength of the household.

Some of my images present a 'frontal' or 'iconic' figure within a spare, empty place. The figure seems to come out of the emptiness, proclaiming its cause, not like a warrior or a protestor, but often just as a momentary vision – a ‘sighting’ of an event. Still other figures have external barriers hovering over them, or on their sides, symbolic of social pressures and constraints. In all cases, I want the figures to survive and conquer their constraints. There are victorious and inspire others through their courage.

I often include ‘milagros’ which are found in Latin American tradition, as an ofrenda for a health concern or to voice my concerns about political issues. The figures' transparent and sometimes cut away outer layers reveal their secrets [body parts], while others contain simple lines, signifying a mystical presence. Examining these issues through drawing, prints and installations has opened up literal 'lines' of communication to discuss and find common ground. They are a multicultural/ multimedia body of work that is an offering of peace and healing.