Analog Collage: Woman in Repose

Woman in Repose
11.25" x 10"
Paper (13 cut pieces), glue

Abstract collage has been an unexpected hobby that meets both my enduring attraction to textural objects and also my sense of curiosity—especially for things I don’t readily understand.

This piece is one of my favorites so far—the making process evolved into an exploration around a woman and her body. I asked myself:

• What is it like to honor a woman’s body instead of use it as a form or an art object, especially when removing its image from its contexts? How can I protect a woman’s body from the continuation of historic objectification when presented in the nude?

• Does a head create identity or does it potentially narrow who “Woman” is? Conversely, does removing the head create focus on the body as an object?

• What would it be like to be completely at ease with one’s body as a woman? Is pre-fall Eve the epitome of a woman comfortable with herself in nakedness, or does she also represent Mother and therefore still enforce an idea of a woman’s body being used for something?

What resulted from this wrestling was a figure nestled in and by soft textures. A transition from dark to light as we progress upwards towards the Woman, culminating in an abstract halo around the head. She is at peace with her form, which requires neither hiding nor demands anything from the external. Simply being—secure, at rest, and in comfort. Mother Nature-Creator is present, too, and she and Woman co-exist hand-in-hand, extending from one another yet perfectly separate. Here and there, Woman’s surroundings echo her—there is no voice of contrast, no hostility. All embrace.

I got this framed for my space, and it was also excitingly published on a feminist theology site! I have recently begun exploring creating printed and cut editions to make available for those who it resonates with. We shall see!