Swim Lady Painting

Another from the series "Swim Girls". The Swim Girls are large scale moody portraits of women diving, contemplating and savoring the aquatic life. Some are preparing to dive deep into the lake, river or pool. There she will experience the weightlessness of water and the connection to her watery core. The metaphor of water is used throughout mythology, religion, and art to symbolize a psychological transformation or to express a dive into elements of the subconscious mind. The use of vintage swim caps and classical faces also suggest a collective memory. Some of the backgrounds are metal leaf, black or simplified suggesting a timeless realm while other backgrounds are drawn from the deeply carved river valleys of the Driftless Area of the upper Midwest. The bluffs, cliffs, and craggy formations bear witness to their escape from the terrain smoothing glaciers. The Swim Girls Series is a meditation, a memory and a dip into the subconscious.