I enjoy the tension between what I was expected to be and what I am. The person I am today is by no means due to any accidents or episodes of chance. I have learned to embrace the environment that “built” me, as I credit the disappointments as much as the triumphs in shaping me. My experiences as a woman, born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, have led me to investigate the social stratification and conventional familial expectations found in various subcultures of my native area. I choose to illustrate my investigation of these traditional systems of personal definition through figurative representations of rebellion and acceptance in my paintings. Depictions of defiant female figures symbolize my own maternal desire to assert the same sense of determination that I used to teach babies to walk in teaching young women to walk away from antiquated beliefs that disagree with who they strive to become. Through my paintings, I celebrate those who defy cultural presumptions through acts of self-rule and resistance to conform.
I begin each of my paintings by taking photographs of female figures and local birds from the Mississippi Delta that I am interested in combining on a large-scale canvas. I often “steal” fists full of dirt or remnants of crops to mix with acrylic paint to apply texture and reinforce the idea of environmental influences. Then, I use acrylic or oil to incorporate the chosen figure from my photographs. I favor deep violets and blues juxtaposed with warm hazes of light with water or turpentine used as a vehicle for fluidity.
My technique of literally taking from the terrain and merging with the figure is used to amplify my desire to convey the importance of carefully selecting notions from ones fostering to create a desired entity. The entanglement of an uncompromising landscape, organic shapes, and feminine form is intentional in acknowledging the factors of our environment that influence our personal beliefs and self-image. My use of birds is to symbolize freedom, hope, and self-determination. I often choose a large surface to imply a sense of urgency in the matter of establishing one's independence from confining convictions encouraged by strict familial concepts. I use my work to declare ownership in the development of one’s own identity and the courage to follow through.
