ARTIST STATEMENT
I remember the Before Times. One of my best friends was date raped. Big Man on Campus Football Star. No one would have believed her. She took the back channels and had the pregnancy “taken care of.” No one would know. But we knew… we knew as women we really had no control over our bodies and our lives. Not long after a Right was realized. We could breathe and take charge of our destinies. The Before Times are back. Old men in black robes sitting on a bench, looking like carrion birds, waiting for the ripe moment…
They never did like the idea that they had allowed us so much Freedom.
The anger I feel is hard to put into words. So it became an image. On the front of the pendant is a raven that portends loss and is an ill omen of things to come. It is the Patriarchy swooping down to destroy Womanhood. Claws tearing up what we have always known to be ours. We feel overcome.
But I have daughters and a granddaughter now, more sisters to fight for…
The reverse side of the piece represents hope. With knowledge, we can overcome the Dark. If we stand together, we cannot be ignored.
We can be the Change.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I believe I am on a road of rediscovery… of myself. In past years I have been a graphic designer, a photographer, a painter, a teacher, a mother. In this last year, I have gone on a journey to find my artist roots and have found enameling metals as a vehicle for my passions. I can include my photographs, drawings and love of type into this fascinating medium. I am still experimenting and learning the language of metal and glass and being endlessly surprised at the results.
© Karen Saneholtz