As of April 2023 I have started a project called So She Appears. I shall be working alongside some Scottish organisations and archiving the project.
Why?
There are more portrait sculptures of animals than there are portraits of women!
Women are so often written out of history and art or represented in a sexual or hetero cis male pleasing manner. The fact is that we all have our own unique beauty. We are all worthy of being represented in art. And women's art is worthy of being exhibited, celebrated and enjoyed.
The aims of this project are to;
Raise awareness about the lack of representation of women in art, particularly sculpture.
Change the representation of women from the male gaze to the female gaze.
Address the imbalance of male portraiture to female portraiture.
Encourage women to have their portraits sculpted, to be seen and represented.
Create a safe space and experience for all of the sitters.
Tell women's stories alongside the representation in classical sculpture.
Exhibit collective sculptural portraits of women to highlight the lack of women in sculpture to the general public.
Challenge the misogyny that exists strongly in art world in the UK in my own special little way.
Breakaway from art consultants recommendationd and narrow representation of women, in sculpture.
Make an open archive of 2 minute videos of each woman or girl that I sculpt.
Bring women together in both physical and online spaces to discuss art, feminism and everything.
Make women feel worthy, beautiful and seen.
To absolutely Fuck the patriarchy!
I am asking all women, girls and non binary female bodied folk to come forward and have their sculpture done.
To fund the project I am needing to do three paying portraits to every two non-paying portraits. Sculpture portraits normally cost £3000 upwards for a copy however I am going to make my own copies and they will be available from £1800. This will help me make a living and also enable me to do portraits of people who would never normally be able to afford to be represented.
Anybody who represents as female or non-binary, get in contact to take part. C'mon the lassies!
THE CLAY AND THE WOMEN IN THE CARAVAN.
As I write this I'm about seven women into the project. I've just finished sculpting Barbara today and I'll do a couple more days on that one.
What I’ve realised more than anything in doing this is how much it's affecting me in a positive way. I almost feel like I get to open a little secret box and look inside and see something magical and know that it exists in the world.
Ok that sounds very whimsical but the relationship that you develop with someone when you're talking to them and sculpting them is very unique and I'm finding it very powerful.
I love that these women come into my studio caravan and are prepared to just open up to me. To let me poke at them and take measurements. To swirl them on my chair and not feed them for water them because once I start I can stop.
Each time I sculpt a woman or girl ,someone I spend at least one day with, many hours working with. I find that they just appear in the sculpture and then an idea appears around my experience of the interaction with them.
I am aware of a responsibility of sculpting them with a certain prop that they might not feel or understand. So I'm trying to work with the women to ask what they want but often they don't want to come forward. However I do have a few coming up who've got some strong ideas which I love.
When I ask the women how would you like to be sculpted ?how would you like to look? often they don't know. And that's because of the uncertainty of finding ourselves beautiful and doubting that others must find us beautiful as well. Also a fear of putting yourself forward as a woman, in a certain way ,in a piece of art, is quite daunting.
Sculpting Barbara today I felt it was very clear that she was very strong and resilient. She was exuding ‘kind’person. You can just tell from the conversation what a lovely and well rounded human she is. She was telling me about some really important things in her life and so I learn a lot. And sometimes it's difficult to keep my emotions, my responses in check, I want to give them a hug through the clay.
I have had an experience where I've been sculpting with other people and the model has been almost in tears and I've been unable to continue but it didn't seem to affect others or maybe they didn't even notice.
I love that I can absorb people's energy and hopefully give mine back in a welcoming ,positive way. Each experiences like a little gift for me. Honestly I'm absolutely loving doing this, it's amazing. Make art make art make art. It's like finding a small dragon in a woodshed. Or opening boxes to find magic spells inside.