It is assumed that men produce culture. This is the assumption of power and
privilege. This is exactly what women have never had, the privilege and power to
produce culture.
As a woman artist I am dealing with my own identity and hopefully it’s extension
into politics, history and spirituality. When I make a painting I am necessarily
using the language of our present day social, existential and spiritual culture. My
right to do this is still being challenged, because it calls culture into question. But
by making my paintings, I am insisting on the viability of my expression, my right
to exist on my own terms, to represent myself. In other words as a woman
painter I am taking power where power has been denied me in the past. I am
representing myself and opening up to the language of this culture. Paintings are
made in my studio as an intimate conversation with myself. I believe it takes
courage and vulnerability for a woman painter to be herself and express her
ideas on canvas, when she knows that they can often be against the status quo,
the generally accepted views of our culture, still dominated by male artists. The
painting “Take Off” is about just that theme, women artists being heard and
acknowledged. “Reveling” deals with the joy of self-expression and “Captivated”
is still about being over-shadowed by the male perception of culture.
Eva Lewarne