Watercolor, pencil, acrylic and antique silk velvet on paper, 37.5 x 53 inches, 2021—Paris nº 31.
This work, from the Ascension Series, continues the artist's exploration of social rules and gender. She coined the term “Estrogen tax” to describe the compulsory social charges levied on women based on their reproductive eligibility. Parallels between movement through emotional and architectural spaces figure frequently in her compositions. The thick handmade paper of the painting allows for numerous heavy layers of pigment that result in intense color. The patches of midnight blue antique silk velvet swallow light in a manner not possible with pigments and provide a quiet counterbalance to the movement of color. Much of her work, including this piece, is multidirectional, with the intent and perceived feeling of the piece altered by its direction.