I Stand with Her
Color moves me, and at once, arrests me. To linger, to look, to indulge in the pleasure of light and color dancing on humble objects and in the ordinary scenes of my daily life—this has been my inspiration.
But there has been a shift. This is not a time to linger. This is a time to engage, to question, to proclaim.
Liberty, justice, freedom are not the birthright of one party, one race, one nation. These are unalienable rights endowed by the Creator. Around the world stand mighty women, Lady Liberty, Lady Justice, Freedom, honoring the principles held dear by all humanity. Through these paintings, I aim to shine a light on the universal philosophies that have been represented by the female form across cultures and throughout history.
I used one of the paintings from this series, to create the poster (at right) to carry at the Women’s March on Washington, January 2017.
Mother of Exiles
Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Mother of Exile text is excerpted from The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
I Stand with Her
“The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World” was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. French sculptor, Frederic Bartholdi referred to her as “Libertas.”
The Lightness of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty of Barcelona is a symbol of freedom, light, knowledge, and progress. Lady Liberty is floated above little cherub geniuses, who symbolize industry, science, and art. This magnificent sculpture adorns the backside of the monument to Francesc de Paula Rius i Taulet, Mayor of Barcelona during the Restoration between 1858 and 1889.
Nevertheless, She Persisted
Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
The first Fountain of Justice in front of the Römer was inaugurated in 1543 as a monument to the city’s self-image. In 1611, sculptor Johann Hocheisen created the eight-cornered fountain and a figure from red sandstone, which by the mid-1800s was in total disrepair. In 1887, German sculptor Friedrich Schierholz created the bronze statue of Justitia that graces the monument today.
Goddess of Democracy
“The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World” was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. French sculptor, Frederic Bartholdi referred to her as “Libertas.”
Emancipation
Sculpted by Theodore Bonev in 2007 to commemorate the 159th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the sugar slaves on the French side of the island, Lady Liberty stands at the Agrément roundabout on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten.
Like a Mighty Stream
The first Fountain of Justice in front of the Römer in Frankfurt, Germany was inaugurated in 1543 as a monument to the city’s self-image. In 1611, sculptor Johann Hocheisen created the eight-cornered fountain and a figure from red sandstone, which by the mid-1800s was in total disrepair. In 1887, German sculptor Friedrich Schierholz created the bronze statue of Justitia that graces the monument today.
Liberation
The inscription on this statue in Budapest, Hungary reads, “To the memory of all those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.” First erected in 1947 in remembrance of the Soviet liberation ending the Nazi occupation, the statue was rededicated in 1989 after the transition from communist rule to democracy.
Angel of Independence
The Angel of Independence (El Ángel), sits atop the victory column known as Monumento a la Independencia in Mexico City. She was created by sculptor Enrique Alciati in 1910 to commemorate the centennial of the start of Mexico’s War of Independence. In her right hand, El Ángel holds a laurel crown, symbolizing victory, while in her left she holds a broken chain, symbolizing freedom.
Freedom
Created by artist Thomas Crawford in 1863, Lady Freedom stands witness to all the events that take place in and around our nation’s Capitol. She wears an eagle-feathered headdress with Greek and Roman clothing, integrating European and Native American imagery. Her quiet presence speaks to the principles on which our country was founded.
Everlasting
On the dome above the Central Court (Old Bailey) of England and Wales in London, stands a bronze statue of Lady Justice, executed by the British sculptor F. W. Pomeroy in the 1880s. Courthouse brochures explain that this Lady Justice is not blindfolded, as is common, because her “maidenly form” is a guarantee of her impartiality which renders the blindfold redundant.
Uprising
Sculpted by Marian Konieczny, the Warsaw Nike commemorates all those who died in Warsaw, Poland from 1939 to 1945, including participants in the defense of Warsaw in September 1939, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw Uprising, and the victims of German terror. The death toll of Jewish inhabitants is estimated to be over 300,000 killed by bullet or gas, and the 92,000 victims of rampant hunger and hunger-related diseases.