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Joyce Polance
Artist's Statement Using myself and friends as the subjects, I explore intimate themes with my art. My canvases are large - often six feet tall, and the figures are nude. I depict subjects who are in various states of emergence from patterns that have had a negative impact on their lives - often a past inability to experience support through family or peers. The most recent pieces explore the complexities that ensue as women engage in relationships that speak both to the original and the new (or substitute) family. By exploring a range of dynamics - sexual tension, jealousy, sadness, anger, tenderness - my art suggests that even in a transformed world, life is messy. Both the large size of the women and the thick, layered application of paint are meant to create an arresting visual presence echoing the internal strength of the figures. I paint the women naked to suggest their willingness to change and be vulnerable, while simultaneously embracing their sexuality and bodies. The women take ownership of both their femininity and their power. My objective is to challenge the viewers to question their own assumptions about strength and beauty. |