For a while, I have been thinking about incorporating figures into my art. Not wanting to be known as “The Birch Tree Lady,” I felt the need to explore other subject matter.

I didn’t want to move completely away from the landscapes I am known for so I determined I would create portraits of women in natural settings. I would be expanding my subject matter and challenging my artistic abilities.

As I didn’t have any photos to work from I began scouring a variety of sources. While I never found a single photo that looked like what I imagined for a particular piece, I was able to use parts of many different photos to create composites that informed my work. I also found I needed to collect new fabrics to create these women.

As I began constructing the first few pieces, I collectively called them “The Mother Natures.” But as more and more ideas came to me I determined I wanted to explore this new work even further: women of different ethnicities, different hairstyles, unique clothing (or no clothing), jewelry, and different settings, including interiors. Some of the women moved indoors and got dressed up. And some got undressed!