The Queen Issue (v. 17)

80's mystic
naturalist
space age
painter
cowboy
DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE
80s mystic naturalist space age painter cowboy
HOW WAS IT PAINTING A MURAL? WAS
THIS YOUR FIRST ONE? TELL US ALL
ABOUT IT!
The mural took forever! The painting is of the 48 moons
closest to the sun, to scale, arranged according to their
closeness to the sun. I made a decision not to use traditional
mural techniques but rather build up textures and paint it
by hand like my other paintings, so that it would feel continuous
with my other work. That meant it took a lot longer
than expected. It was so physical, working at that scale, outside
in the sun, and I was exhausted at the end of every day.
But I had dreamed of making a painting that size for many
years, and when the owner of the restaurant approached
me I knew it was something I wanted to do. I loved being
able to interact with strangers on the street walking by as I
was making it. And I love having my work be visible in such
a great neighborhood in Denver.
WHAT INSPIRES YOUR BOOB PAINT-
INGS?
When I became a mother my body became my baby’s
landscape. For the first few months especially the mother
is the baby’s whole world. Making these paintings was an
attempt to honor the wonder-working female body while
wrestling with my owns sense of being more exposed than
ever before through breastfeeding. I asked friends to send
me photographs of their bodies and painted the forms in
celebration of all the different colors, shapes, and sizes.
Our culture usually portrays breasts in ways that are for
men or by men - I wanted to look women’s bodies as part
of a different conversation, for women and by women.
We’re at a moment in history when women are reclaiming
their bodies and voices in a way they haven’t before, and
these paintings are part of that movement.
WOULD YOU SAY YOUR FEMININITY
PLAYS A ROLE IN YOUR ART?
It’s interesting, a male painter once told me not to work in
watercolor or pastel colors because people would associate
that with “women’s art” and not take my work seriously. I’ve
returned to watercolor and adobe pinks and browns again
and again. It seems like people respond most to my work
when I ignore that advice.