A Mormon (Feminist!) Image: A Room of My Own
A room of my own. Because Virginia was right.
My space, where I have room (sufficient for my needs) to work, to make, to make a mess, to make art. My entire married life I have maintained this space in our various living/family situations; sometimes it has just been a corner of a room, or half a closet and part of the table, etc. In our current local, I occupy the entire thing. I have frequently felt guilt about it, conflicted about my taking up so much space (a lovely way to top off recurring feelings of artistic failure). And for a good couple of years after my son was born, it became a rather neglected room. But not lately. With my son’s growing independence and starting school, I am back in my room. No time for guilt now, only have time to work, to get into it with my materials. Making a mess, Making art. Using this room of my own.
Submitted by G
This photograph is part of our ongoing series highlighting images from our readers lives. Comments to the post are encouraged. In addition we invite you to submit your own images to the Mormon Image series. Rules and instructions, including submissions guidelines, can be found here.
G,
this is one of my favorite pictures of you and I’m so glad you posted it for us. You’re one of my best friends and to see you alive with passion for your craft makes me well…get all weepy.
Comment by mfranti — November 12, 2009 @ 9:58 pm
aw mel… you’re making me cry now too…
(hugs and kisses. I love you too.)
Comment by G — November 12, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
G, your art is beautiful.
Comment by numi — November 12, 2009 @ 11:06 pm
Closeup of the art, please?
Comment by m&m — November 13, 2009 @ 12:47 am
Freaking awesome! I wish I could paint and draw like that….
Comment by Sunshine — November 13, 2009 @ 3:26 am
m&m, that particular piece I’m working on is part of a group project that will be unveiled in December, but here is some of my other work
(thanks sunshine
)
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 8:39 am
Wonderful, G! Do you keep your speed bag in your studio? Looking forward to more of your stunning art creations.
Comment by ECS — November 13, 2009 @ 9:00 am
What a great picture!
Comment by britt — November 13, 2009 @ 9:19 am
Your really have a great picture. I really love it while you’re also a busy mom..Thank you for posting us like this.
Comment by Andy Light — November 13, 2009 @ 9:41 am
E~ yup, my speedbag is on the opposite wall
btw all, you REALLY have to see this trailer for “Who Does She Think She Is?” (about the plight of women artists who are mothers, and female artists in general)
(it’s linked to in the post, but, wow, I just watched it again, and it almost has me in tears. every time. Hehe, LOVE the nod to the LDS mommy who’s ward members probably have no idea she’s an artist.)
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 10:14 am
“Who Does She Think She is” is an interesting take on the issue, but in general I disagree.
Truly great art transcends identity. It has a life of it’s own. The creator is left behind and the art lives on.
If you consider music to be art (which I do) then women who are mothers have excelled in the arts. The same can be said about literature.
The biggest problem in the visual arts is the self-aggrandizement that the community has built up for itself. Much of what they claim is great simply isn’t that good. It’s fad and trend driven, not talent. Unfortunately there are quite a few ‘”famous” artists out their (mostly male) that really aren’t that good. They are just the industries ‘darling’ of the month.
Comment by H — November 13, 2009 @ 10:53 am
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Pingback by Noli Irritare Leones » Blog Archive » “Would It Kill You to Be Nice to Me?” and Other Links, Mostly on Health Care Reform — November 13, 2009 @ 11:46 am
Gorgeous creative mess that I would never have seen otherwise,wish we could sit and chat there about your work.Meanwhile I will just continue my search for creative friends,of whom i am in too much awe to consider myself worthy of friendship…
Comment by wayfarer — November 13, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Exciting work G,just looked at your link.Will we be seeing you in the centre pages of the Ensign before too long?
Love to see women’s work.
Comment by wayfarer — November 13, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
H: famous artists = mostly male.
that it, of course, the point of the film.
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
I believe it is especially important for women to have a space of our own, since for so long, we were not allowed to lay claim to anything…not even our own persons for so long. A space of my own is sacred. Even Jesus retreated to his own space. Toss out the guilt, it is a necessary thing to acknowledge our own need for retreat, introversion and creativity. Especially the mothers, who deal with the continual demands of childearing and repeatedly put our own needs on the back burner so often. Married women, who meld so many things into “we” must periodically connect with the “me”, or risk losing integral parts of ourselves that keep us interesting and involved in the world around us. In order to keep that up, there has to be a space and time to tend to ourselves.
Comment by Kimberly — November 13, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
Oh- love the art…you have a great talent and must continue to allow it to evolve. It’s part of who you are.
Comment by Kimberly — November 13, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
wayfarer… snickering at the thought of me in the Ensign centerfold
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
I just read the Ensign for the articles.
Comment by Ziff — November 13, 2009 @ 1:54 pm
Great picture, G! I love how many projects you’re in the middle of or have recently finished.
Comment by Ziff — November 13, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
What a great post and image! It’s so wonderful to see you creating visual art again, G (but, I do miss your written art at the Exponen).
The documentary looks interesting–not many trailers can make me tear up.
Comment by EmilyCC — November 13, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
G,
H brings up and interesting point, there are lots of successful female musicians that have children.
why do you think it’s more difficult to be a fine artist and be a mom?
Comment by mfranti — November 13, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
It made me cry. I used to paint before I broke my back. Keep it up you never know what can happen. Cute photo!
Comment by Cz — November 13, 2009 @ 3:11 pm
@mfranti (and @H) for me, looking at the length of history that the film is talking about, I would say that music/literature is similar to art in that it is only fairly recently that women with children are able to make any sort of headway in their respective industries be it art, music or literature.
Are there female counterparts for a Kurt Vonnegut or a Johnny Cash? (that’s a real question, btw, my knowledge of that history is limited)
(off the top of my head I am thinking of Sylvia Plath, but suicide at the age of 30 is an ominous example for a mother working in the art field)
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
Johnny Cash? He’s up there but superstars like Jon Bon Jovi and Bono would be a better comparison.
The only female I can think to attain that kind of celebrity is Maddona. Sure, there’s lot of other “famous” women out there but did they reach the highest echelon of superstardom in their chosen art genre?
and what do you suppose the ratio of super celebrity artist moms to super celebrity artist non-moms? (what a mouth full)
few that i can think of from memory.
speaking of memory, in the trailer, the narrator asks a random couple if they can name five female artists between them. They were unable. How sad.
I can do a few off the top of my head:
Georgia O’Keeffe (she had a TON of help from Alfred Stiegletz.)
Frida Kahlo
Dorthea Lange
Annie Leibovitz
and Holly Mae Pendergast
Comment by mfranti — November 13, 2009 @ 5:25 pm
hey nice
and both Dorthea and Annie were/are mothers as well.
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 5:41 pm
as per johnny cash… I was looking back in time a little ways, maybe elvis would have been a better example?
was there a female peer in that era?
(and even today, with big name female superstars, I’d be interested in seeing an income comparison between the biggest male names and the biggest female names. Oh, and also longevity of career~ thinking of how men like Bon Jovi and Bono seem to keep their sex appeal into their 50’s. Brittney Spears anyone?)
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
mfranti #22 -
At least in classical music, the same holds true for musicians as for fine artists. There are lots of women who play instruments and play them well, but when you get to the top-flight symphonies, like NY, Boston, Chicago, London, you will find that the majority of players are men, particularly if you look specifically at the concertmasters and principals. Women conductors in top symphonies are nearly nonexistent. Top soloists are nearly all men, as well, particularly if you look outside of female “ghetto” instruments like flute, piano and violin. In brass, women players at even the semi-professional level are fairly uncommon.
There are some exceptions, of course, but fact is it is much more difficult for a woman to succeed as a professional musician in any area outside of vocal music (even look at rock bands — vocalists may be women, but rarely instrumentalists)..
Comment by Lorian — November 13, 2009 @ 5:48 pm
O’keefe wanted children but Steiglitz wouldn’t cooperate. He was a brilliant photographer but a philandering pig.
Comment by mfranti — November 13, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
well said lorian
Comment by G — November 13, 2009 @ 5:51 pm
ooo lorian, you remind me about conductors.
in my younger years, I wouldn’t take the female choir conductors seriously. They just didn’t, in my young mind, have the same credibility and presence as a man. and if i’m completely honest with y’all, it might still be the same. yuck)
and now that we’re talking about this, you’re spot on about female musicians.
Comment by mfranti — November 13, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
..and theater actors
and top chefs too? wow. i didn’t realize how much art is dominated by men.
Comment by mfranti — November 13, 2009 @ 5:55 pm
Yup. I’ve only worked under one female conductor working at the highest level of symphonic conducting, and that was Margaret Hillis, who was one of the associate conductors of the Chicago Symphony. But her primary role, there, was conducting the Chicago Symphony Chorus, of which I was a member. She was occasionally allowed to actually conduct the symphony — sometimes to fill in when Solti or a guest conductor became ill and couldn’t conduct. She never had her own top-level symphony, though I’ll tell you right now, she was as good as or better than most of the great male conductors I’ve performed under.
Comment by Lorian — November 13, 2009 @ 6:11 pm
That trailer looks very interesting. Thanks for posting that.
Comment by britt — November 13, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
Patsy Cline was more or less same era as Johnny Cash, and although she died at age 30 she was married and did have a child. She wasn’t nearly as influential but she might have been had she lived longer.
As for authors, Edwidge Danticat is one of my favorites, and she is married and a mother.
But these women I can think of are the exceptions, not the norm. In general it seems to be very difficult for mothers to be influential artists. I need to see this film.
Comment by Chelsea — November 14, 2009 @ 8:43 am
Oh G…I love you. I mean, this picture. Okay, both.
Comment by Chandelle — November 14, 2009 @ 9:56 am
A female Kurt Vonnegut… I would have to say Stephenie Meyer. She is an amazing artist who cuts to our innermost souls while also being a busy Mormon mother! I think that sort of work she does is much more difficult than fine art, or music! The best literature!
Comment by ILoveEdward! — November 15, 2009 @ 5:06 pm
Lovely picture there
Comment by Amelia — November 16, 2009 @ 10:48 pm