Cover Her Head

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[gallery ids=”52439132,52439133″ work by Rose Wylie, even older than me and winning prizes.

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having a go at a lighter approacher to Cultural expectations, the “armour” of fashion, joining the fashion herd so one cannot get picked off as a separate woman…a disguise but then again an opportunity to be creative. Creating one’s own personality/identity that gets subverted by the need to “belong”.
Clothes has probably always expressed status and membership of a group……being an “individual” can make one vulnerable. Shopping therapy is Making Choices, exerting the power to own. A bit hesitant to develop this as it does seem to be attacking the “victim”….but as an artist it releases me to be expressive without the need to be judged [by myself] for my drawing skills.
Is is Mary? Wyeth’s work I saw at the Jerwood gallery in Hastings I have in mind. very annoying to lots of people for it’s naivety, is it too easy? or more difficult? ROSE WYLIE, close but no cigar.

This wood carving was part of a Tudor roof truss, now in storage in Ipswich Museum apparently. so much hidden in storage in museums, rotate rotate!
I presume this woman is in the ducking stool…..such strong emotions expressed, such powerful carving.
I am signed up to do a pop up exhibition at ArtSkool {whoops, forgot “never volunteer”} theme to be shared with jenny butcher. We are working on the restrictions of expectations, mine as they seek to control women culturally and jenny the individual hidden emotional bounds of being adopted.
I wish I wasn’t so old and a bit ill, I would like to project this photo on the wall…..obviously by writing this down I am trying to force myself into technological action……In my head I imagine a Maypole in the middle of the room with textile strips linking to various sketches of bound women on the wall. {it is a drawing based challenge]
I have 2 x 50 metre tapes which I may stitch with the text of expectations of the roles/actions/ of women, remembering not to stick to Western women only…….but that will take time, hopefully be completed for my Final Fine Arts degree exhibition next year.

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Sharing my thoughts this week on my theme of Women being Bound by Cultural Preconceptions I have received a lot of encouragement, which in a way I found surprising as the work is not particularly attractive even in these days of post feminism it still seems to strike a chord.
One suggestion was that I should also work with the idea of women breaking Free from these bonds, which chimes with my thoughts not to idealise victim hood.
There is an opportunity to take part in a pop up exhibition at ArtSkool, so I hope to get the opportunity to construct a large figure, MAYPOLE? linked to sketches of bound women on the wall [the brief is drawing based}. Just thought of Michaelangelo’s figure escaping from the marble. That is male, who also have to escape their cultural bonds, but my experience is of women so I hope my work will be authentic rather than sloganising……