The beginning of the end....

quote of the day

"The tendency in Western European culture and in the United States, notably in religion, philosophy, and depth psychology, has been to identify the female with body, with base matter, and by extension, with evil (201)."

CAROL SCHRIER RUPPRECHT

"Feminist Archetypal Theory: Interdisciplinary Re-visions of Jungian Thought"

woman is illusion

Working with many different designs, I am using the ritual of makeup to expose the illusion of an ideal. The lined eye, plump lip and blushing cheek of beauty is achieved now, as it has in the past, through purchases at the makeup counter, or the plastic surgeon. Feeling comfortable in one's own skin is replaced by the second skin.

lately..

Lately my work has revolved around the rituals and rites of becoming. A woman must work at becoming feminine, or arriving at beauty. It doesn't just happen overnight. That is the idea that we are sold everyday, where ever we look. It hurts to be beautiful. The pain is worth it. Sound familiar?

Brainwash

untitled

all natural make-up remover II

Thinking about archetypes

Who am I in terms of the archetypes that I have been raised with? What unconscious roles have they played in my life? How many times have I consciously made a decision or action based on an archetypal role? Do these ideas of the feminine really define me? or do they box me in and categorize me?

"We call something archetypal when we believe that it is basic, necessary, universal; the trouble comes when we begin to believe that what we have valued is the essence of what is real (10)."

"Feminine Archetypal Theory" Estella Lauter and Carol Schreier Rupprecht

Many me

Stubble

Headstone

To argue with a grave marker is futile, hopeless, pathetic. It is too heavy, hard, cold and permanent. It will always be there for you when you return. It will maintain itself, and it's reflectiveness. It is there as a reminder, a memory, a statement, holding your place in line, asserting the last vestiges of an identity, providing the most basic information about an individual. "Birthdate, Deathdate, Mother, Father, Daughter, Son." it reminds us. "Look at your reflection." it tells us.

Thinking about working

I bring to the surface something that I find in myself. This can be something that I normally would not share with the world. Instead, I share it through performative action. I confront this idea or content and make it visible, and experienceable. The visual presence of this content is most important. The way my work is presented consists of careful editing of the performative action. This provides permanence in the work.

shower pretty (continued)

shower pretty

Women must maintain. They maintain their composure, their house, their sanity, their hygiene, their looks, weight, good taste, the list goes on and on. The pressure to maintain follows a woman everywhere; even when she is at her most private and vulnerable. Even in the act of bathing, the woman is portrayed as maintaining.

Stream (Space Between)

out, er, space

People are always in a space. Sometimes the space is a backdrop. Space can take over, and eat someone alive. People can take over and dominate a space. It can be a hundred people or just one that commands a space. There can be many people occupying a space that have no connection to one another. Spaces can come alive, with feelings, light, tension. The feelings one experiences in a space depend on their individual characteristics, as well as the way the space is tailored to them.

you are what you eat, but do you want to be?

all natural make-up remover

Biography, fantasy

Everything comes back to biography. What I have experienced creates who I am. Who I am influences how I see things. Perceptions of my environment guide my work. Fantasy is part of who I am, and, in a larger sense, a part of everyone. People fantasize. It starts as a child and continues into old age. Fantasies occur in the front yard, in the office, in the bedroom or just in the mind. Some fantasy's are acted out, some are never realized. All are part of what we call human nature, and contribute to one's biography.

Mud on your face

Going back in time

When I think about my child hood, certain activities come to mind. I remember jumping on beds, hiding underneath them, going inside the clothes dryer, climbing trees, and rolling down hills.

The act of rolling down a hill gives the opportunity to temporarily lose control of your body, until it finally comes to rest at the bottom. This loss of control provides for some a state of euphoria and release. Maybe it scrambles your brain. Maybe it un-scrambles it.

Let's all get naked, for the hell of it.

Ah, nudity. The eternal double edged sword. Nudity = sex. Right? To be nude is to be sinful, sexual, risque, pornographic, lustful, whorish, hedonistic, bold, seductive, etc. To be a nude women comes with it's own baggage. Nudity is a strange beast. Models, celebrities and the like appear nude or with hands or hair at just the right angle to hide the really naughty parts. Our media is flooded with images of actors and actresses in highly sexualized poses, nude or otherwise. Give us hip shakes, pelvic thrusts, on-stage simulated dry-humping, but one breats during the Super Bowl and it's pandemonium. But try it yourself and forget it! Nudity seems to be reserved for the rich, famous and beautiful. People may enjoy paintings of nudes, proudly displayed in their living rooms for all to see, but the actual body still seems off limits. The human body has been generally the same for thousands of years, but, for some reason, the act of becoming nude, or revealing your own body is a big problem. "Do what you must, but for the love of God, keep your clothes on!"