a larger context

my wonderful friend T'wina recently opened a business called Ladies First, an organization dedicated to mentoring young girls. I follow Ladies First on Facebook, and today they posed a question that reminded me of something I've been thinking quite a bit about recently. The question was:

WHAT'S YOUR TAKE (re::Blurred Lines) Is there such thing as "ironic objectification," or does it exist in the same realm as hipster racism: a joke that's not really a joke because longstanding systems of sexism and oppression are still in place?

This is something I've been thinking about a lot while photographing my drawings this week. Almost exclusively drawings of nude models and scantily clothed burlesque models. women artists have a much tougher time getting their work into museums compared to male artists, and there are a whole lot more paintings of nude women than nude men shown in those museums. As an artist interested in the human figure, I've been somewhat at the mercy of which models are hired for the group model sessions that I attend around Seattle. The overwhelming majority of the models are women. There are a handful of men (and I actually prefer drawing men because I think they pose a better challenge for me with their heavier muscle mass)... but most of my drawings are of women. So looking at all of these hundreds of drawings while photographing them for my website, I've been thinking a lot about what my work says about women. Am I passively documenting a tradition that objectifies women? Or worse, am I perpetuating this objectification? Or is it possible that I'm ignoring that tradition altogether and as a female artist, perhaps honoring and celebrating our bodies? My hope would be the latter.

To be quite honest it isn't something that I give much thought to when I set out to attend a drawing session. Instead I think more about composition and contour lines, and about figuring out what is the most interesting and challenging part of the pose in front of me? I think a lot about shadows and shading. I think about the materials I'm using. I think about the amount of time I have, which affects how quickly or slowly I move my charcoal. The larger social issues are generally something I think about after the fact... but still quite important - and part of my responsibility as a female artist of the 21st century.

While I do have a couple of projects in mind that I would love to complete surrounding social issues concerning women of the 21st century, it hasn't been the focus of my work. (In fact I've procrastinated in the worst way about completing those projects - which tells me that it may be a bit forced for me to work in that direction - even though I so greatly admire artists who do that sort of work). I don't think it necessarily needs to be the focus of my work. But I do think it's something I need to be conscious about, and make some choices about. What should my nude drawings of women say about women? My hope would be that my work honors our various body types, and helps the girls who see my drawings to understand that all body types are beautiful. There is a lot of love and respect put into my work when I draw the women that model for us. I admire and appreciate that they take their clothing off and hold (sometimes difficult) poses for up to 20 minutes at a time. But more than that, I love the lumps and bumps that I see when I draw them. I love the bulges that happen when a model holds various poses. I love how the light creates delicate shadows over the smallest details of their bodies - such as the little bump at the wrist. I appreciate all of the various body types of the women (and men) who sit for us, and I love it when we're lucky enough to get a plus size model. I think those models are particularly brave and strong. They take what society has to say about their bodies, decide it isn't important, and they sit for us with dignity. They give us a special opportunity to show the world just how beautiful their bodies are. (And to be quite honest, I think the women who do have the body type of a fashion model are the least interesting to draw. There's not much to discover about it).

And the what about the burlesque models I draw? They're choosing to enter into a profession that relies on the ever present male gaze - but i think burlesque dancers are more complex than that. I think a good burlesque dancer turns that male gaze on its head, and uses it to her advantage, taking control of the situation. Burlesque dancers tend to be strong, sassy women who are proud of their bodies. My hope is that my drawings honor those qualities.