Amazing Women: Creating and Changing Contemporary Society

As an artist whose practice has been in the field of social issues art for several decades, I have been creating portraits of women of accomplishment who made important contributions to our culture. These women, whose achievements range from arts to science to sports or politics, are usually underrepresented in college textbooks, the press, and the society in general or even forgotten not only in the US but also around the world. Within all the patriarchal societies women are second class citizens: less celebrated, honored or remembered because they are born into a misogynist cultural system that favors men. My desire to contribute to social change prompted me to create series of works, titled the Amazing Women, to help celebrate the often hidden contributions of female gender. The Amazing Women Series are on going. For decades I have developed a complex technique of layering colored pencils on paper, or acrylic paints on canvas to create them. I often incorporate text and numerous mythical and symbolic elements to clarify or help interpret these works for the viewers. Women of accomplishment are still underrated within contemporary society, and my goal is to help them reach equal status with their privileged male counterparts, therefore help create a fair society for both genders, a democratic culture that offers all the people equal opportunity.