I am an invisible woman

"I am an invisible woman"
self-portrait
mixed media on 8 x 10 canvas board
acrylic, collage, egg-carton papier mache

I just finished this piece this week. It's the first in a series, I think. It represents how society doesn't see women of a certain age anymore.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As an invisible woman, we gain power, too. We can become keen observers and, if we choose, wise and unconventional teachers. We come into our own in so many ways, and that can be an incredibly freeing and powerful feeling.

"I am an invisible woman"
(detail)

I have also been working on an art website called "Bleeding Heart Studio," and while I was jotting down some ideas for it, I wrote this:

"After spending over a decade working my way up the corporate ladder in the marketing departments of several well-known large corporations, I chose to become a full-time mother to raise my two children. This I did, for longer than I ever felt possible. It was the most worthwhile thing I have ever done.

I emerged from this period of self-imposed domesticity to discover that, during this time, I had become an invisible woman in society.

So I returned to my first love. Art.

This time I started with some self-portraits."

What this description doesn't mention is that out of necessity I've also had a series of horrible part-time jobs during my post-corporate years. We live simply, and we are by no means rich. So, like many women, I've had my share of funny, mind-numbing, soul-sucking part-time jobs. The sulphur smell of hard-boiled eggs reminds me of two of them.
:0)

I have been an artist of sorts my whole life. It started when I was young. I drew almost daily well into my teens. I was a writer, designer, and coordinator during much of my corporate career. (That's how I could be corporate, without losing my mind.) I was a creative mother, encouraging my children to explore anything and everything. I have had a large kitchen garden, and am still a creative cook. And I've painted and made jewelery, off and on, for years.

Now is my time, I think. It's my time to really see where this burning love of art can take me.

*****

October 15 is Blog Action Day. Bloggers from over 139 countries will be writing about climate change, reaching over 11 million readers with their message. Please join me on my environmental blog, A note from your Mother, where I'll have links to some interesting information on the topic.

Thanks!