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Blog Post
#5WomenArtists
ByAly Jensen
•
03 Mar, 2020
Can you name 5 women artists? That is the question NMWA has been asking since 2016.
Their campaign has been supporting amazing women who are using their art as their voice all over the world. They have focus on key issues like immigration, racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights and climate change, among many others.
We have so many amazing woman artists represented in our gallery, it was hard for us to choose just five to highlight, but we're excited to share this handful that we feel are truly using their artwork to communicate a powerful message.
Betsy Enzensberger
Betsy Enzensberger, Los Angeles, CA
Betsy
is best known for her fun and spunky, resin popsicles and balloons. She told us that she very specifically does not touch on the key issues, but rather focuses on joy and nostalgia—which is a key issue if you ask me. We have grown so tired and sad, and being able to look back on a time where there were popsicles and summer sunshine and grass between our toes is very important.
“Do you remember spending summers barefoot, with the warm sun shining on your back, skipping through the cool spray of the sprinklers? How about hearing that familiar jingle of the ice cream truck, then racing to the street as the music rang louder? Sticky hands. Blue tongues. Sweet treats. Oh joy!
You’ll never see me go into a deep explanation of my work or add any sort of political, racial, gender, immigration issues to the meaning. I love to talk about the grueling process, but my intentions are quite simple."
"In a world where the daily news makes you tremble in fear and the effects of social media on your own ego are a daily concern, I like to remind people to be happy. With bright colors, sparkly glitters, magical pearls and shiny resin, my work creates a sense of positivity. If you identify with the ice pop shape, the feelings go deeper into joy and nostalgia, while remembering the days when life was simpler."
You're the Bomb, 6 x 3.5 x 3", Resin, $250, Available at the gallery
"I recently had a solo show in Hamburg. It was my first exhibit in Germany and I had no idea what to expect. Would they like my work? Is it too colorful? Will they take me seriously? Have they seen it before?
The weather was cool and gloomy. It even rained a bit on opening night. While chatting with the locals at the reception, I noticed that each and every person commented that my work reminded them of their summer vacation, or their favorite treat as a child, or that it just made them happy to look at my work during a difficult workday. I immediately realized that I had achieved my ultimate goal; I have brought this group of people joy! By the end of the reception I had sold the entire exhibit. This just goes to show how powerful joy can be.”
Jehra Patrick
Jehra Patrick, Minneapolis, MN
Jehra Patrick
is an excellent example of an amazing woman artist using her art as her voice. She is not going to shy away from talking about key women's issues such as fertility and barrenness, biological clocks, supporting one another, potential and growth in that potential and so much more. She is very interested in the repetitive and ritualistic actions of daily life and finding the vulnerability in it. This specific piece, Stilleven, has an especially rich meaning:
Stilleven, 20 x 16", Oil on linen, $2800 ($280/mo), Available at the gallery
“An adaptation of a Dutch Golden Age painting by Rachel Ruysch, not only one of the most regarded painters of the era but a woman, a wife, and a mother of 10 children. The painting also features the addition of flowers from a tattoo I have in my left arm, symbolizing my own aging and passing of time. “Stilleven” is the Dutch word for “still life,” or to bring the motionless to live. My etymology suggests “balanced up to now,” and also questioning leveling off or flatness. Themes of fertility, biological clock, and work-life balance are imbedded within this painting, as is a romance for painting history.”
Marisa Baumgartner
Marisa Baumgartner, Brookyn, New York + Salzburg, Austria
Marisa
loves pulling her own duality, being that she is Austrian American and has been traveling between the two countries her whole life, into her artwork. She loves using this as a different lense in which to look at the world and showing ways that they can easily coexist. Playing with digital and natural, dark and light, abstract and realistic in a romantic dance, she lets the differences not only speak on the fact that differences unite, but also uses her subject matter to be a conversation on the current climate changes.
“Duality forms the basis for my practice as a visual artist. He/she, black/white, gay/straight, yin/yang, positive/negative, analog/digital, visible/invisible: I am interested in the formal use of the binary as a tool to mask and reveal notions of how we occupy, perceive and interpret our world."
"My formal process of obstruction reveals political discussions of the traces left behind from climate change, emotional reactions of what we hide/show of ourselves to others and to ourselves and psychological layers of distance in how we inhabit our environment."
Iselle, 31 x 13", Acrylic and wintergreen oil transfer on canvas, $3600 ($360/mo), Available at the gallery
"Over the past decade I have embedded into my practice my personal fascination and fear of the digital Internet age of online cameras and exchanges of images with the use of found surveillance webcams and public domain satellite pictures. I create images that are largely white or black, creating a conversation with the “white” and “black” painting of Minimalism. I use painted gold leaf on a NASA satellite image captured and manipulated by scientists to study the effects climate change has had on the water volume of rivers because visually it relates to a Gustav Klimt or Egon Schiele painting; thus a tool for using beauty to comment on the terrifying environmental crises of today.”
Elisa Sheehan
Elisa Sheehan, Stillwater, New York
Elisa
is best known for her incredible eggs. She is deeply focused on brokeness and the beauty in it. We all have brokeness; some of it we are ashamed of and some of it we are proud of. She touches on issues such as aging, heart ache and nature. She is even using this voice she has developed to promote and facilitate healing. Egg shells make up a majority of her artwork, but she also creates beautiful, abstracted floral pieces. Just because they are not the Kintsugi doesn’t mean that these are not healing as well.
Broken Pieces Made Whole, 6.5 x 6.5", Eggshells and paint, Available at the gallery
“ All beautiful things have a story and a history. By using the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi as my muse and guide, I bring forth this concept of revealing a history through one of the most delicate things imaginable; eggshells. With each fragile, broken eggshell I use paint and gold leaf to elevate these shells to represent something more meaningful. They are visually beautiful precisely because of their cracks, not in spite of them. This philosophy of acceptance and celebration of our imperfections is what we need more of now more than ever. The very act of taking these fragile eggshells and turning them into works of art, reminds me to think about myself and others, our relationships as we age - not to try to look like our former, younger selves but to embrace our "breaks and flaws" and to honor them and see the beauty in them. They are a daily reminder that we are not broken, but rather that we are stronger and more beautiful than ever for having fully lived.”
Andrea Ferrigno
Andrea Ferrigno, Galesburg, Illinois
Andrea
recently had a solo show with us so her work probably looks pretty familiar to you! She is an amazing artist that uses color and shadow and geometry to sing the song she is writing. She draws inspiration from the places she has called home, science, femininity, geometry and life moving around her.
“The visual language of my work is rooted in analytic studies of geometric forms and patterns. I also frequently looked to the sciences for inspiration. The analytic objectivity of these systems and their ability to convey truths about the world has been very seductive. Judy Chicago, a forerunner of feminist art practices, described the creation of her early work as performing “male drag.” In other words, she was aiming to create work that appeared to be made by a man."
"Much of my interest in the analytic systems of science and math was fueled by a similar desire—to avoid emotion and gendered identity. While I am still pulling from these areas, particularly geometry, I am working to infuse these systems with the personal, autobiographical, and the emotional. At the same time, my interests in these analytic systems, I also see a way to advocate, in a micro-political manner, for the sciences. My embrace of color in my work over the past few years is decidedly feminist, pulling from personal experience, memories, and emotions."
Body Double, 48 x 36", Oil on canvas, $4800 ($480/mo), Available at the gallery
"The recent shift in political power, the “me too” movement, the Kavanaugh hearing compelled me to create a series of drawings titled “Resume Papers.” In this on-going work, I am directly addressing past traumas and working to embrace my body and sexuality from a more empowered perspective. Some of these drawings have been translated into prints such as “Body Memory”, and “Bodily Structure”. In these works, I am more directly presenting notions of the figure. I find the intimacy of prints appropriate for pushing this subject matter. In my paintings, while more ambiguous, I have been pulling from these drawings as well, working with recognizable features of the female body. For example, in 'Body Double,' I am exploring the dichotomous ideas of what a woman is “supposed” to be. In this painting, shrouded Mother Mary form is intermingled with a sexualized gesture of confident curves. I am not interested in being overtly didactic with these issues or creating work intended to be understood one particular way. However, I hope viewers, women, in particular, find resonance with both the joy and celebration, as well as the deeper complexities of womanhood in my work. For me, the defiant joy of creating, of seeking beauty, meaning, and truth in these trying times is the ultimate political statement of my work.”
As the warm sunshine reappears and the days get longer, some people get the chance to escape and enjoy a well deserved break from work or school. Whether you jet set to an island, find a pool to lay by, or have a reset week at home, why not bring the joy of spring break into your home?
At Liz Lidgett Gallery, we take pride in showcasing the talents of 66 artists from 7 different countries around the world! Through their unique artwork and creative processes, each artist creates a captivating narrative. Join us on a global journey as we introduce you to our diverse array of artists.
