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| "Far Away" Photo courtesy of Hillary Miles |
-You
mentioned an interest in children's books and sci-fi stories. What particular fantasy characters and tales
have inspired your work?
There’s a
beautiful economy of structure and wealth of symbolism in children’s stories
and old myths that I find completely appealing.
And while I love the range of possibility that science fiction and
fantasy stories have to offer, I am especially compelled by the way their
boundarylessness is always tethered by a camouflaged truth—I try to evoke that
tension in my characters.
Three great
female characters that I admired growing up were cartoon “Princess of Power”,
She-Ra, the neutrally-aligned witch character of Sondheim’s “Into the Woods”
played by Bernadette Peters, and Sarah from Jim Henson’s “The Labyrinth”. I also adore Jim Henson’s proclivity for
making friendly monsters, and other unconventional creatures that are never
quite what they seem to be. Though I
read and was read to a lot as a kid, many of my favorite stories are actually
movies, and I think I’m especially drawn to the coming-of-age tale and the
emphasis on duality and transition. The
characters in these stories have an inherent liminal quality to them that feels
kind of mystical to me. Most of my
female characters are young women who are inhabiting two, or multiple, realms
of possibility at once.
-Can
you talk a little about the special bundles your monsters carry?
I started
giving the monsters their bundles after reading the Popol Vuh, a Quiche Maya
origin text that mentions sacred bundles in several of its stories. There was this vague implied association
between the bundle and the (Jungian) Self that really interested me, but also,
I responded to the gesture of carefully wrapping and protecting your most
sacred and treasured objects, thereby fortifying their power. The beautiful thing about painting these
bundles is that the viewer gets to breathe a whole complex narrative into the
monsters by imaging their very own sacred objects and ideas inside of the
bundles, reinforcing the power of their own personal myth.
-What
can you tell us about the diverse, emotional expressions of your "Grumpy
Butterfly" series?
The “Grumpy
Butterflies” are the ridiculous result of doodling my feelings out. I seem to deal better with sadness and rage
through a veil of humor, and I love that the butterflies can be totally
unrestrained even when I can’t be.
-"Pretty
Girl" is such a compelling, vibrant piece.
Are you commenting on the social behaviors of human flirtation?
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| "Pretty Girl" Photo courtesy of Hillary Miles |
This one
began as a simple character study, but became a strong statement about the
sexualization of girls and the infuriating and destructive messages dominant
culture sends to young women about their bodies. That is, the emphasis on physical beauty, and
the narrow definition of those terms, and the idea that as a woman you are
obligated to be “pretty” for other people, and that the sum of your worth is
embedded in your ability to preen yourself to ridiculous and harmful
standards. It makes me beyond grumpy!
-What's
next for your adventurous, quirky women?
I would
love to see them in the pages of books for young people to digest. Even better, to eventually transition to the
world of motion pictures—that would be the biggest dream come true of all. For the moment, I will continue to paint
them, venture further into the realm of 3 dimensions, and do my best to assure
they continue to tell important stories.
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| "Space Girl" Photo courtesy of Hillary Miles |
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