Art Journal
July 17, 2009 at 18:18 The inspiration for this piece first surfaced when I was reading May Sarton's Journal of a Solitude. I was sitting on Di's terrace pondering some of Sarton's reflections on feminism and the artist's need to be open to experience, to pain, to love, to light and to darkness, to every human emotion and every human being.
It's a dilemma I've struggled with repeatedly, especially in the last few years.
How open is too open?
Where do we draw boundaries in our relationships, in our art, in our writing?
Who do we let in and who do we keep out?
What do we express and how do we express it?
Who can we trust and what do we do when we're betrayed?
Most women are socialized to give generously of themselves, and this capacity for giving is the best and worst thing about being a woman. Our willingness to give fosters intimacy and satisfying relationships. It also leaves us open to exploitation and abuse.
Women who love too much are both admired and reviled. Thus the words that came to me and inspired this art are these:
She gives herself so freely.
Does that make her a saint or a whore?
( My gallery shot might make it easier to see the details. Scroll down through the gallery thumbnails to the end to find this.)
The central image in this piece is a foreign postage stamp that I got while living in Europe. I bought parcels of cancelled stamps just to admire the artwork, and my favorite package included all images of women.
For this art journal entry, I chose a classical image because I wanted to create something that reflected how long women have struggled with identity. I chose this particular stamp because the woman is beautiful but earthy, sensual and yet ordinary, and her eyes gaze heavenward.
The colors in this piece are inviting and yet illustrate a play of light and shadow.
I set the image in a series of windows because windows permit us to observe the outside world and allow others to see us. Saints are enshrined in stained glass windows, and whores stand in windows and reveal themselves. Windows are also both a means of escape and a means of entry.
The half circles in the composition suggest halos, the sun, the moon, warmth and light. The winged heart is joy and love and freedom.
Women who love too much.
Women who open the windows to their souls.
Women who give and then give some more.
Women who put themselves out in the world--
Saints? Or Whores?