Red Woman is a series of self-portraits and performance art born from a poem I wrote of the same name.
"She" became a character and vehicle to explore themes such as: identity, strength, and healing, while further examining the collective societal roles and labels associated with women.
Red Woman is maiden, crone, mother, sister, daughter and also the marginalized voices of the feminine such as: crazy, bossy, outspoken, awkward, and uptight. She is the outcast, the wanderer. Feral. Miss-Behaved. Miss-Understood. Too-Sensitive.
The photos were taken in the woods of Western Pennsylvania and the Redwoods of California while on an artist residency. Nature is an integral component to the photos. The trees and landscape are a refuge and serve as an entry point to the creative process. The relationship Red Woman has with nature represents her primal essence. The part of her that belongs wholly to herself.
"She" became a character and vehicle to explore themes such as: identity, strength, and healing, while further examining the collective societal roles and labels associated with women.
Red Woman is maiden, crone, mother, sister, daughter and also the marginalized voices of the feminine such as: crazy, bossy, outspoken, awkward, and uptight. She is the outcast, the wanderer. Feral. Miss-Behaved. Miss-Understood. Too-Sensitive.
The photos were taken in the woods of Western Pennsylvania and the Redwoods of California while on an artist residency. Nature is an integral component to the photos. The trees and landscape are a refuge and serve as an entry point to the creative process. The relationship Red Woman has with nature represents her primal essence. The part of her that belongs wholly to herself.
Poetry, video, and art - Copyright 2024
Red woman
I will not write another poem
about a woman blooming,
finally risking everything for
a life that she deserves.
I don’t know, maybe I’m cynical
or maybe I’m just tired of flowers.
It’s romantic and poetic
to compare a woman to a flower,
but honestly, at this point,
I rather be a weed-
strong,
unyielding,
resilient,
and pissy.
I’ve had some colossal wars with dandelions
who not only kept claim to their plot of land,
but conquered, divided, and multiplied.
These bitches don’t go down without a fight.
Now, it’s not so important for me to claim a piece of land
or have my roots tied tightly to some thing,
but it is important that I claim my life.
My life.
And if that involves risking and blooming, then so be it,
because I have been a seed buried in a wind of lost days,
but now, I am reimagining a field of second chances.
Instead of petals falling,
I will send out a legion of seeds,
those unbelievably fuzzy white seeds,
the ones we spend summer days trying to catch,
the ones that make wishes come true.
Because you know, dandelions,
they can survive anything.