Dragon Girl Print

I paint recognizable images where the human figure, particularly the female figure, is always central. She embodies strength rebellion and independence. These portraits and self-portraits emerge from daily life, from the atmosphere of the places I grew up, the ordinary and relatable, the joyfulness within the quotidian. Coupled with the easy-going and everyday is the sudden surreal element, a hidden dreamscape or fairy tale. The focus of my fascination is the imperfect naked human body, with its infinite shades of skin tone and its folds, the body as it moves, the body in its intimacy. In my earlier pieces, movement was created by distorting and exaggerating anatomical shapes, inspired by illustration, but my recent work is more introspective and realistic. My latest series called "Shibari" is a darkly erotic collection where ropes transform the contour of the figure, adding new shapes and chiaroscuro that enrich it and enhance its sensuality. The realistic figure placed on a flatter background lifts it out and give it prominence. Often adorned with floral motifs as religious icons, these ornaments wrap and pamper the body, accompany, envelop and caress the naked figure so as not to leave it alone and naked on a cold background. The decorative emblem of the natural world protects the soul of the human form. The floral motifs come from my veneration for Romantic, Pre-Raphaelite, and Symbolist artists. While mine is of course a female gaze deeply rooted in the modern 21st century, my respect for these masters has led me to work with their same techniques, always using oil on canvas or board. Painting for me is as an instinctive act of assertion, defiance and connection.