"Self Eden" oil on black canvas 4.5x3' 2004. This was part of my black art series and my ultimate feminist statement. I find it very intriguing that woman is damned from the very first moment as role of woman. The story of Eve being entranced by a serpent to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge. May I ask why is this a bad thing? This is a tale of Eve trying to paint herself white to rid the negative voices from her head yet the serpent reminds her all the color she met on her journey and how could she want to live without color? Self Eden is about seeing the voices clearly and knowing how to deal with them. Society has not made it easy to be a woman. To give art my all would be at a cost, but a lovely lesson in living and surviving. At this time I always wore this necklace my grandparents gave my mother of a dancing goddess from India. I wore that necklace to remind me of the woman I wanted to become. As I've grown into the woman I am today I will say I learned a lot about being beautiful living very simple in order to paint and continue to paint with my heart. I've learned if a religion needs me to play a role where there are tons of rules on me being a woman verses very little rules for man, I say no. Society is also a cruel beast by what it teaches our young girls defining what makes a beautiful woman. How could we be so cruel to Eve in the way we do? I think the best she did is let me eat that fruit of knowledge. It's been a long journey in ridding these negative voices that tell me I still haven't perfected my beauty but I have done it. Eve was actually the first true rebel and I'm happy she gave me knowledge as to becoming this woman of today. Knowledge has taught me how to truly see the world I live in and how to stand proud of the beauty of myself inside and out. I now know beauty is something more then a pretty face and body it's about being strong minded yet letting my heart out to play with color. Looking back, I'm glad I never let go of my imagination. A woman's mind is the true "Self Eden." #Love