Women in Nature

My work is about the relationship between women and nature, specifically how women can use nature to escape societal pressures. As a woman, I often feel overwhelmed by the parts of myself that can feel oppressed by society’s expectations and rigid rules. To escape this, I take walks to reconnect to nature. Nature does not have rigid rules to conform to; there are no expectations for what should be. In nature, a woman can be herself and find a connection that may help free her. In my paintings, I try to find this blend between women and the environment. 

My first painting featured a woman with nature woven into her. However, the pose felt stiff. I continued with acrylic paint, trying to find the connection I sought. I began moving towards a focus on the environment and not on figure, seen in image 7. However, the paintings were losing something with the figure shrunken. Therefore, I began focusing my paintings on the figural women, seen in image 8. Yet, painting nature around the girl felt too obvious. In image 11, I discovered that I can find the connection through color (pastels) and material (watercolor). This slight adjustment led me to experiment with many variations of the same painting. They all have the same color pallet and a similar feeling, however I make slight changes to the poses. Seeing this series of paintings together highlights that feeling of relaxation and connection between women and nature I was looking for.