SLART NOTE: Iām no art critic but I wanted to share my thoughts on 6 female artists with whom I have crossed paths with their work, who inspire me to be a better artist.
After a chat with my wife about how our one-year-old daughter could be the next [Insert top female Olympic swimmerās name here] we couldnāt think of one. All we could muster was āTom Daleyā or āDuncan Goodhewā, the latter revealing our approximate ages! I know this is more about our ignorance of professional swimming, but it happens in the art world all the time, as art history is disproportionately jam-packed with male artists. If you ask someone who knows a little about art to name 5 famous artists, itāll likely be mostly, if not all, male artists.
Pamela Clark once said:
āConsume cultural products produced by women.Ā
In whatever your interests areāFrench cinema, astrophysics, baseball, birdwatchingāensure that women's voices and women's cultural products are represented in what you are consuming. If they are not, make an effort to seek them out.ā
In art, this comes naturally to me as I admire many female artistsā work, but it got me thinking about other areas. You could do the sameā¦
ā¦In no particular order, on to the amazing artists!
1. Imogen Morris
I came across Imogenās work at Boomer Gallery in London back in 2021. What we shared in common, was both paying Ā£150 to have a piece of work shown in one medium-sized room of a third-floor building just off Brick Lane. So I connected with her on Insta and itās been amazing to see her career flourish since. Her art gets bolder, larger and more inventive as time goes on!
Through Imogen, I had the chance to exhibit at a cool microbrewery in Bourneville, a suburb of Birmingham, in October 2022. Serendipitously, my friend and I went into Birmingham City Centre for the day after setting up the exhibit. My friend had recently become an avid art gallery visitor so we popped into Ikon Gallery to explore. We walked up to the first floor and I did a double-take at the gallery assistant, āImogen?ā, āSteve?!ā She replies. We were both shocked to see each other in āreal lifeā, but we had a lovely chat nonetheless. Since then her art career has gone from strength to strength so check her out, and hire her for a commission! She creates the most beautiful figurative art using thread and pins.
Imogen was once asked what art movement inspired her the most, her reply was:
āMinimalism ā I absolutely love it and was heavily influenced by it during my degree. I wouldnāt say itās obvious in my practice now, but I build up harsh lines in my triangles to create mesh-like forms, and these replicate the strong angular forms of Minimalism.ā
Follow Imogen: www.instagram.com/imogenmorrisart
2. Ana Benroya
Anaās work has been blowing me away since I heard her Talk Art Interview back in July 2020. She has a wonderful figurative style depicting muscular female figures with cartoon and superheroine influences. As many people do, I follow artists that inspire me, and she certainly does that. Itās a real pleasure to see her new artwork pop up in my stories.
Follow Ana: www.instagram.com/anabenaroya
3. Harrie Dearing
Harrie and I have become friends since working on a couple of mural projects together in 2022, weāve also shared a joint exhibition in 2023.
Harrie is a prolific abstract painter and she has unbridled creativity in terms of the diversity of her creations. She masterminded her own Arts Council-funded project in 2023 using projection mapping technology inside an old swimming pool that was being renovated.
Follow Harrie: www.instagram.com/harriedearingart
4. Lydia Pettit
I also came across Lydia via the Talk Art Podcast and have been following her art career via Instagram since then. She is a phenomenally skilled painter in the traditional sense, creating hyper-realistic works in her own unique style, often using self-portraiture in innovative ways. She had a breathtaking solo exhibit (In Your Anger, I See Fear) at Galerie Judin in Berlin in 2023. I wasnāt there in person, but the photos absolutely blew me away! I canāt wait to see what comes next from Lydia.
āI see the picture plane as a mirror in which I can frankly regard myself.ā
Lydia Pettit
Follow Lydia: www.instagram.com/lydiapettit
5. Elsa Rouy
I discovered Elsaās work via Guts Gallery in Dalston (a place I am fond of as I used to live up the road in Stamford Hill). Her work stops you in your tracks, Iām sure youāll agree! She creates fleshy paintings that are in your face, disjointed, shiny and unforgettable. I believe someone once said āDisgusting. And bad artā referring to her work. The person who quoted that must have been triggered by the unusual figures in Rouyās pieces, they can be seen as gruesome for sure, but itās certainly not bad art! Besides tastes, receiving such a strong reaction is a great thing in my opinion!
Elsa mentioned the comment in an interview in 2021.
āThe quote comes from a comment left underneath one of my paintings on Instagram. I found it really amusing, everyone is entitled to their own opinion so I wasnāt offended. I think I found the bluntness and the fact that my work had the capability of making someone offended comical. As it was about my work, I decided to appropriate her comment and leave it in my bio as if it was a review, a bit like what you find on movie posters but bad. The woman in question actually did quite exciting paintings of horses, itās a shame she didnāt have the same attraction to my work.ā
Follow Elsa: www.instagram.com/elsa.rouy
6. Vicki Da Silva
I discovered Vicki and her work through Brainard Careyās book recently. She creates the most wonderful photos using light to create lettering, also known as light graffiti! How cool is that?
Her words were of great comfort and inspiration to me, and I could relate to her persistence. She mentioned in the interview that she took a break from art for a while to have children, and things started to take off again when the kids were a little older when Vicki was 53. It is never too late to start an art career, we only think that! Vicki mentioned how she went to the director of the Armory Art Fair to ask to exhibit without a gallery, and she got a space.
Vicki in her own words:
āYes, thatās exactly how it works. I go to the powers that be, and I ask for permission. Iāve done that in front of the Whitehouse; back in 2008, I was inspired to write, āObama in the houseā in June of 2008 for the Obama campaignānot specifically for them, but in support of the Obama Whitehouse before anything, before he got elected.ā
Follow Vicki www.instagram.com/vickidasilva
So thatās it for this post, make sure you check out the fabulous artistsā work.
Here are their links again.
www.instagram.com/imogenmorrisart
www.instagram.com/harriedearingart
www.instagram.com/vickidasilva
Love to you,
As the daughter of painters, I thank you for highlighting the work of women artists! And a lovely window for me into UK. My parents lived and painted in NYC and I write a lot about my motherās invisibility in the shadow of my well-known father. Maybe someday the story will change. Iām trying to help change that story (and noting the terrible damage it did to my family).